{"post_id":"m5jx2l","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Is there a term for when an anthropologist begins to idealize a culture they have developed fondness for, then flies into deep denial or despair when they discover something horrific about it relative to their own culture? I ask because I've noticed it here & there and ponder how common it is. Usually it's human sacrifice, socially sanctioned child abuse, sexual assault, slavery, or oppression of a minority group that really bothers Western anthropologists for example.","c_root_id_A":"gr0c7xd","c_root_id_B":"gr0qd68","created_at_utc_A":1615814219,"created_at_utc_B":1615821516,"score_A":52,"score_B":314,"human_ref_A":"It might be helpful to give an example of a culture you think never experienced those horrors (and prepare yourself for a moral relativism conversation).","human_ref_B":">Is there a term for when an anthropologist begins to idealize a culture they have developed fondness for, then flies into deep denial or despair when they discover something horrific about it relative to their own culture? Bad anthropology? The multi-tiered university undergraduate and graduate education that professional anthropologists go through is designed and intended to hammer home the idea that idealizing a culture-- any culture-- isn't good anthropological practice. This is why cultural relativism is so important in the practice of anthropology. There is no such thing as a perfect human culture. Every culture that we are aware of has had its own internal problems of one sort or another. We approach the examination of cultures (to the best of our abilities) through their own internal lens. And in so doing, our goal is not only to reserve ethnocentric judgment (good or bad) of a culture and its myriad practices and traditions, but also to maintain a sense of analytic detachment. That doesn't mean that anthropologists don't become attached to the people and cultures that they study and spend time interacting with. But what it *does* mean is that we avoid idealizing the people and cultures we work with by approaching *any* culture with a relativistic perspective and do our best not to impose our own values and morals on people who don't necessarily share those same values or morals. Anthropologists are human, of course, and so we *do* make plenty of mistakes in the practice of our discipline, as any human does. This is also why we have things like peer review, institutional review boards (IRBs), and so forth. We have built many checks and balances into our discipline (as have other research \/ academic disciplines) that are designed to help maintain a certain standard of research, ethical behavior, data development \/ recordation, and reporting. The circumstances you're generalizing-- idealizing a particular culture or sub-culture and then becoming upset when it doesn't live up to the idealized (imposed) view-- would be considered unprofessional \/ badly practiced anthropology.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7297.0,"score_ratio":6.0384615385} {"post_id":"m5jx2l","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Is there a term for when an anthropologist begins to idealize a culture they have developed fondness for, then flies into deep denial or despair when they discover something horrific about it relative to their own culture? I ask because I've noticed it here & there and ponder how common it is. Usually it's human sacrifice, socially sanctioned child abuse, sexual assault, slavery, or oppression of a minority group that really bothers Western anthropologists for example.","c_root_id_A":"gr3omf6","c_root_id_B":"gr35x61","created_at_utc_A":1615882098,"created_at_utc_B":1615866360,"score_A":11,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"I can't help but worry that when you say you've \"noticed it here and there\" you are referring to some movies and TV shows you've seen, or even just the 18-year-olds who post on this sub, not behavior you've observed among actual anthropologists. This sounds like a Star Trek plot, not something a living contemporary anthropologist actually wrote about.","human_ref_B":"I will say as an archaeologist with heavy emphasis in anthropology during undergrad, i\u2019ve fought myself hard to stay as unbiased as possible when thinking about or discussing my favorite civilizations, its difficult! Im Scandinavian and was brought up with romanticized views of Vikings who were pretty brutal to their victims at best... but now i feel that i can still be a proud Norwegian with a bloodline that goes directly back to the vikingr of the Oslo Fjord and later the Jorvik (York) colony in England, and yet still be able to acknowledge the pain they brought to other ancestors of mine... its a very fine balance between veneration and distain. I think if youre going to be a mature adult in this world, and especially in this field, youre guna have to acknowledge nuances like this and not take a hard and fast stance about people who lived 1000 + years ago and who we will never know all of the data about what they thought or how they lived. That being said, another example would be the Maya, while i\u2019m not directly related to them, i think they had one of the most wonderful and rich cultures of all of human history, they have the most beautiful language in the entire world in my honest opinion. But! when you look at things like the auto sacrificial practices of elites, sometimes people will recoil in disgust... the harsh reality is that sacrifice made sense for the Maya, it was upheld and sustained by their world view. Like i know it\u2019s fucked up to say that looking with a modern (and very Christian ) lens, but the reality is so much more nuanced than murder... which is what many modern people jump to immediately when they hear sacrifice. (I dont have the time to go into it but tldr: not all human sacrifice is someone ripped another persons heart out; alot of times its either auto sacrifice aka self inflicted wounds to appease the gods *or* the ritual killing of captured enemies from rival city states again, for the gods) In either example, i think it\u2019s crucial to remember two things: 1. most of human history happened before Christianity (or rather imperialism flavored with Christianity) irreparably changed what is now the modern world. And 2. Humans in the past were just as unique and fully developed with just as much agency as we have today. The past should be treated as what it is: a foreign country. And it\u2019s not acceptable to go to a foreign country and judge their culture using the guidelines of a completely different culture, so it shouldnt be acceptable for us to do it to past societies.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":15738.0,"score_ratio":1.2222222222} {"post_id":"gx8emf","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"If you take the two humans who are the least genetically related to one another, how far back would they share a common ancestor? I am living with an exchange student from Japan, and we were wondering how far back she and I would have a common ancestor with one another, but then I wondered who would be the two people on earth least related to one another? Perhaps a polynesian and a Finnish person? Maybe a Native australian and an Inuit? South African and a person from the Amazon? How far back would the two people least related have to go to find that common grandmother\/father?","c_root_id_A":"ft2o1v8","c_root_id_B":"ft51bhp","created_at_utc_A":1591427416,"created_at_utc_B":1591459241,"score_A":3,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/YNQPQkV3nhw This video might help. It is under 10 mins. And aimed at the lay person. It has several diagrams that will answer your question.","human_ref_B":"The deepest split would be a group primarily \u201cpaleo-African\u201d like a San Bushman and I believe a Papuan person with maximum Denisovan admixture but little recent Eurasian admixture I believe those two groups would be most distant You need to find people without agriculture who were not impacted much by Bronze Age pastoralists Most humans are highly related from these groups: Bantu, IndoEuropean, first farmer groups and we are all now very related","labels":0,"seconds_difference":31825.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"vhgzox","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"If the Neanderthals were outcompeted in Europe by homo sapiens and went extinct 40,000 years ago but the first Indo-Europeans settlers only arrived around 8000-5000BCE, who are the homo sapiens who outcompeted Neanderthals? The Basques? And why were they then outcompeted by Indo-Europeans?","c_root_id_A":"id76zd9","c_root_id_B":"id74yas","created_at_utc_A":1655829490,"created_at_utc_B":1655828615,"score_A":265,"score_B":149,"human_ref_A":"There have been multiple waves of migration into Europe, among the most notable: 1. The Neanderthals (or their ancestors) several hundred thousand years ago. 2. The homosapian hunter-gatherers approximately 40,000 years ago 3. Neolithic farmers from 10,000 years ago 4. Indo-European speakers (most likely from the eurasian steppes) about 6 or 7 thousand years ago. Most Europeans today have a mix of ancestry from all these groups as well as from other sources that had less impact.","human_ref_B":"Not my field of expertise, but as I understand it this model isn\u2019t quite correct. 1. Neanderthals persisted a lot later than that, closer to 35k years ago, and it is more accurate to say they were absorbed rather than \u201coutcompeted.\u201d That\u2019s a theory, one that imo projects a 20th century capitalist mindset into a strange and distant past. The best genetic evidence we have, however, paints a more complicated picture. It also may be the case that Neanderthals were already on the way out when the first sapiens arrived. We simply don\u2019t have enough data. 2. All Europeans have some degree of descendance from the cro magnon, but most have very little. Even the basques are more likely descended from Stone Age, agriculturalist settlers who came from the Middle East. Again, given the paucity of historical records going back that far, we really dk. 3. The indo Europeans came much later, more like between 4000 and 3000 bc. The story goes they excelled in warfare because they had invented the chariot and had a very hierarchical, patriarchal society. It\u2019s compelling to me, but indeed just another theory. Very rarely did they directly \u201coutcompete\u201d the indigenous, although we again dk because of the lack of records. Generally speaking though, their impact on the European gene pool was far less than the middle eastern farmer group that preceded them. The best hypothesis imo is that they were quickly assimilated like other \u201chorse warrior\u201d peoples after them, eg huns, avars, magyars 4. In general I don\u2019t like the \u201cout competes\u201d framework. It relies on a very inept metaphor for natural selection\u2014 competition\u2014that Darwin himself actually avoided. It isn\u2019t the \u201cmost fit\u201d species to survive but rather the most adapted to their circumstances. Who\u2019s to say that if some climate catastrophe hadn\u2019t weakened the Neanderthals that they wouldn\u2019t rule the world today? After all, even the best minds on these topics have only speculation to offer","labels":1,"seconds_difference":875.0,"score_ratio":1.7785234899} {"post_id":"mf3fm5","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.86,"history":"It seems like most \u201cthird Gender\u201d categories are people assigned men at birth that take on a female social role. Is their any examples of assigned female at birth people taking on a masculine social role? Why are MTF traditions seemingly more prevalent then FTM?","c_root_id_A":"gslcivu","c_root_id_B":"gslka0c","created_at_utc_A":1616949119,"created_at_utc_B":1616952627,"score_A":100,"score_B":207,"human_ref_A":"I've written about the issues behind this perception before: https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/AskAnthropology\/comments\/gkk3lw\/there\\_seem\\_to\\_be\\_more\\_genders\\_for\\_people\\_with\/fqt0wf2?utm\\_source=share&utm\\_medium=web2x&context=3","human_ref_B":"In Albania there are the \"sworn virgins\" who are women, usually female only children, who take on male social roles and mannerisms. Traditionally women were not permitted to inherit property, but sworn virgins were, so this was a way that property could be kept in the family. It also just happened if women had no intention to marry and decided they'd rather live as men. This been written on a few times in the past. There's a book from the late 90s or early 2000s called _Women who become men_ by Antonia Young. I haven't read it since about that long ago though. Also a 2002 paper by Littlewood, _Three into two: The third sex in Northern Albania_ which addresses the phenomenon as whether or not it truly counts as a third gender. Also a chapter in the book _Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature_ titled _The Balkan Sworn Virgin: A Cross-Gendered Female Role_ by Mildred Dickemann which describes the phenomenon as the only female-to-male cross-gendered role in modern Europe. It also mentions a similar situation in North America, but I can't speak to that. The Dickemann chapter mentions that there aren't many accounts, but I can attest at least that in the 1990s it was still a thing at least in the rural north.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3508.0,"score_ratio":2.07} {"post_id":"i5xkqo","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"When did humans decide that direct eye contact was a useful part of conversation? I have been watching *Morgan Spurlock Inside Man*. On Season 3, Episode 3, he visits Detroit Zoo. He also goes to Joe Exotic's zoo, but that's another story. The zookeepers at Detroit Zoo tell Spurlock not to look primates directly in the eye, because they see it as a threat. At one point, he forgets about that, and a gorilla lunges at him. When did humans decide that direct eye contact is useful and trust-building, instead of threatening?","c_root_id_A":"g0soi7z","c_root_id_B":"g0sfw4a","created_at_utc_A":1596900611,"created_at_utc_B":1596895509,"score_A":38,"score_B":13,"human_ref_A":"Ignoring for the moment all the ways people treat eye contact, it\u2019s fair to say it\u2019s an important and loaded behavior. Hard to say \u201cwhen\u201d that came about... we know that humans are uniquely social animals, so we\u2019re constantly thinking about what others are thinking about us or the environment. There\u2019s an autism treatment that advises autistic people that allistic people \u201cthink with their eyes\u201d. If you avoid eye contact, one can see how you\u2019re missing a lot of social information about others\u2019 intentions. Indeed, one of the first skills we look for in infants is joint attention, attending to what others are looking at as a way of social engagement. A good example of This is the \u201ctriangular gaze\u201d, when an infant looks at something interesting then back at the caregiver to indicate \u201cI want that,\u201d or \u201cthat\u2019s delightful, isn\u2019t it?\u201d This shared affect is a key part of bonding and is modulated by eye contact. There is a theory called the \u2018cooperative eye hypothesis\u2019 that revolves around the unique, high contrast appearance of the human eye, with its large visible sclera, which is not found in other living primates: https:\/\/pursuit.unimelb.edu.au\/articles\/why-we-show-the-whites-of-our-eyes Somewhere in there, we know that humans learned to lie or give half truths linguistically, but that clues to a persons real inner state (and perhaps their plans) can be found in the face and eyes especially. Lots of information there. Indeed, there is research showing that eye contact with others takes up a lot of cognitive bandwidth (https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C6&q=eye+contact+cognition&oq=eye+contact+cogni#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DvCqpha8-XQAJ ) we look up and away when we\u2019re trying to remember something or crunch numbers. Or lie, masking our intentions by hiding information from our eye behavior. Long way of saying \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d But you can consider all of the above within the basic framework of evolution of breeding, being more likely to breed, and having more offspring that survive to breed.","human_ref_B":"As they have already said before, non-verbal language in humans does not fulfill a universal norm, but cultures usually have their own protocols. In my country, for example, men among them shake hands to greet each other, but if a man greets a woman or two women greet each other, it is common to kiss each other twice. This greeting in other countries is a lack of respect. A good author to start with is Clifford Geertz.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5102.0,"score_ratio":2.9230769231} {"post_id":"i5xkqo","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"When did humans decide that direct eye contact was a useful part of conversation? I have been watching *Morgan Spurlock Inside Man*. On Season 3, Episode 3, he visits Detroit Zoo. He also goes to Joe Exotic's zoo, but that's another story. The zookeepers at Detroit Zoo tell Spurlock not to look primates directly in the eye, because they see it as a threat. At one point, he forgets about that, and a gorilla lunges at him. When did humans decide that direct eye contact is useful and trust-building, instead of threatening?","c_root_id_A":"g0tm9ut","c_root_id_B":"g0tm5fm","created_at_utc_A":1596918248,"created_at_utc_B":1596918183,"score_A":7,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"If I'm not mistaken, some of our closest ape relatives do have direct eye contact between mother and child (as well as mimicking faces), but it has only been confirmed in animals kept in non-natural conditions. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy writes about this, among other related subjects, in her book *Mothers and Others*. Very interesting work.","human_ref_B":"In terms of animals, is it not the case that dogs, as domesticated an animal as I can think of, are almost singular in their ability to follow a human\u2019s gaze, and advert their attention to that?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":65.0,"score_ratio":1.1666666667} {"post_id":"kz91du","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"As someone who may want to pursue anthropology as a career, what is the working field like? What do you do to get a paycheck? Are there branches of anthropology you can specialize in (folklore, archeology, etc.)?","c_root_id_A":"gjmxuv7","c_root_id_B":"gjmi4af","created_at_utc_A":1610910986,"created_at_utc_B":1610906000,"score_A":109,"score_B":67,"human_ref_A":"I have a Ph.D. in anthropology and work as an archaeologist. Your question is difficult to answer briefly given how complex and broad the field of anthropology is. In the US, there are four primary subfields of anthropology including archaeology (study of past material cultural), cultural anthro (study of cultural variation), biological anth (biological aspects of humans), and linguistics (study of language from an anthropological viewpoint). Each of these subfields include an untold amount of vastly different subjects to specialize in. For example, one archaeologist may study the origins of agriculture in Asia while another focuses on what life was like for immigrant women during the 19th century gold rush. Figuring out what you want to study is one of the fun parts of school and I suggest taking as many different courses as you can during undergraduate studies (also consider courses in the Classics if you enjoy ancient Greece\/Rome stuff). As far as what a career in anthropology is like, I can only speak to archaeology. Importantly though, if you plan on pursuing a career in anthropology be prepared to attend graduate school. Most subfields require a Master's degree or, in many cases, a Ph.D. to land a full-time research oriented position. That isn't to say you cannot put an anthro degree to good use in other career fields. However, if you want to do research (especially on what you're interested in) you will likely need a Ph.D. and to pursue a job at an academic institution (college or museum). Now archaeology is a little different from the other subfields because federal laws such as the National Historic Preservation Act require cultural resources (artifacts and archaeological sites) to be protected on federal and state lands. Because of this, federal and state agencies employ many archaeologists to manage cultural resources on government lands. However, most archaeologists in the US actually work for private cultural resource management firms (at the BA, MA, and PhD level). These companies are often contracted by the government to ensure various gov. projects (building roads, bases, etc...) are in compliance with cultural resource laws. For example, if the government wanted to build a road across federal lands they would need archaeologists to come in and determine if the work was going to negatively impact important cultural resources. Such projects would minimally include surveying (and sometimes excavating) the building area, recording any sites found, and writing a report detailing your findings and recommendations. Depending on your company\/client, you may even get to conduct more advanced analysis\/research on your findings and publish them in academic journals. While plenty of archaeologists work for universities, museums, and federal agencies, the vast majority work in cultural resource management (CRM) and there are well paying careers to be had in that area of work. Unfortunately, academic positions are few and far between and often pay less than senior level CRM positions but they can be very rewarding if you are willing to put in the work to obtain one. I know this was pretty broad but please feel free to ask follow up questions if you want more information.","human_ref_B":"Hi, I got my BA in anthropology and focused more on the archaeology side of things. I was able to get a job as a lab technician where I basically catalog and manage the artifacts dug up by the field crew (I would've also been qualified with my degree to be a part of the field crew). My daily work consists of washing\/sorting\/identifying\/researching\/labeling\/mending the artifacts. I really love the job but the pay isn't great (~$25,000 a year) and I'm probably looking at a master's degree in the near future in order to have some upward mobility.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4986.0,"score_ratio":1.6268656716} {"post_id":"kz91du","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"As someone who may want to pursue anthropology as a career, what is the working field like? What do you do to get a paycheck? Are there branches of anthropology you can specialize in (folklore, archeology, etc.)?","c_root_id_A":"gjm2lhd","c_root_id_B":"gjmxuv7","created_at_utc_A":1610901677,"created_at_utc_B":1610910986,"score_A":23,"score_B":109,"human_ref_A":"I\u2019m not someone in the field of anthropology, but there are a lot of associated fields. I\u2019m currently studying linguistics, which also has occasional overlap with anthropology, especially linguists who document dying languages. I think it helps if you know specifically what part of anthropology you\u2019re interested in to get a good answer to this question","human_ref_B":"I have a Ph.D. in anthropology and work as an archaeologist. Your question is difficult to answer briefly given how complex and broad the field of anthropology is. In the US, there are four primary subfields of anthropology including archaeology (study of past material cultural), cultural anthro (study of cultural variation), biological anth (biological aspects of humans), and linguistics (study of language from an anthropological viewpoint). Each of these subfields include an untold amount of vastly different subjects to specialize in. For example, one archaeologist may study the origins of agriculture in Asia while another focuses on what life was like for immigrant women during the 19th century gold rush. Figuring out what you want to study is one of the fun parts of school and I suggest taking as many different courses as you can during undergraduate studies (also consider courses in the Classics if you enjoy ancient Greece\/Rome stuff). As far as what a career in anthropology is like, I can only speak to archaeology. Importantly though, if you plan on pursuing a career in anthropology be prepared to attend graduate school. Most subfields require a Master's degree or, in many cases, a Ph.D. to land a full-time research oriented position. That isn't to say you cannot put an anthro degree to good use in other career fields. However, if you want to do research (especially on what you're interested in) you will likely need a Ph.D. and to pursue a job at an academic institution (college or museum). Now archaeology is a little different from the other subfields because federal laws such as the National Historic Preservation Act require cultural resources (artifacts and archaeological sites) to be protected on federal and state lands. Because of this, federal and state agencies employ many archaeologists to manage cultural resources on government lands. However, most archaeologists in the US actually work for private cultural resource management firms (at the BA, MA, and PhD level). These companies are often contracted by the government to ensure various gov. projects (building roads, bases, etc...) are in compliance with cultural resource laws. For example, if the government wanted to build a road across federal lands they would need archaeologists to come in and determine if the work was going to negatively impact important cultural resources. Such projects would minimally include surveying (and sometimes excavating) the building area, recording any sites found, and writing a report detailing your findings and recommendations. Depending on your company\/client, you may even get to conduct more advanced analysis\/research on your findings and publish them in academic journals. While plenty of archaeologists work for universities, museums, and federal agencies, the vast majority work in cultural resource management (CRM) and there are well paying careers to be had in that area of work. Unfortunately, academic positions are few and far between and often pay less than senior level CRM positions but they can be very rewarding if you are willing to put in the work to obtain one. I know this was pretty broad but please feel free to ask follow up questions if you want more information.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9309.0,"score_ratio":4.7391304348} {"post_id":"kz91du","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"As someone who may want to pursue anthropology as a career, what is the working field like? What do you do to get a paycheck? Are there branches of anthropology you can specialize in (folklore, archeology, etc.)?","c_root_id_A":"gjmxa8a","c_root_id_B":"gjmxuv7","created_at_utc_A":1610910779,"created_at_utc_B":1610910986,"score_A":14,"score_B":109,"human_ref_A":"BA honours Anthro, currently in grad school for resource management and planning. Becoming a city planner or negotiator I estimate I\u2019ll be making around $115k a year (CAD) but it is applied anthro, more social science with an environmental foundation. I\u2019m in bliss though as that\u2019s my interest","human_ref_B":"I have a Ph.D. in anthropology and work as an archaeologist. Your question is difficult to answer briefly given how complex and broad the field of anthropology is. In the US, there are four primary subfields of anthropology including archaeology (study of past material cultural), cultural anthro (study of cultural variation), biological anth (biological aspects of humans), and linguistics (study of language from an anthropological viewpoint). Each of these subfields include an untold amount of vastly different subjects to specialize in. For example, one archaeologist may study the origins of agriculture in Asia while another focuses on what life was like for immigrant women during the 19th century gold rush. Figuring out what you want to study is one of the fun parts of school and I suggest taking as many different courses as you can during undergraduate studies (also consider courses in the Classics if you enjoy ancient Greece\/Rome stuff). As far as what a career in anthropology is like, I can only speak to archaeology. Importantly though, if you plan on pursuing a career in anthropology be prepared to attend graduate school. Most subfields require a Master's degree or, in many cases, a Ph.D. to land a full-time research oriented position. That isn't to say you cannot put an anthro degree to good use in other career fields. However, if you want to do research (especially on what you're interested in) you will likely need a Ph.D. and to pursue a job at an academic institution (college or museum). Now archaeology is a little different from the other subfields because federal laws such as the National Historic Preservation Act require cultural resources (artifacts and archaeological sites) to be protected on federal and state lands. Because of this, federal and state agencies employ many archaeologists to manage cultural resources on government lands. However, most archaeologists in the US actually work for private cultural resource management firms (at the BA, MA, and PhD level). These companies are often contracted by the government to ensure various gov. projects (building roads, bases, etc...) are in compliance with cultural resource laws. For example, if the government wanted to build a road across federal lands they would need archaeologists to come in and determine if the work was going to negatively impact important cultural resources. Such projects would minimally include surveying (and sometimes excavating) the building area, recording any sites found, and writing a report detailing your findings and recommendations. Depending on your company\/client, you may even get to conduct more advanced analysis\/research on your findings and publish them in academic journals. While plenty of archaeologists work for universities, museums, and federal agencies, the vast majority work in cultural resource management (CRM) and there are well paying careers to be had in that area of work. Unfortunately, academic positions are few and far between and often pay less than senior level CRM positions but they can be very rewarding if you are willing to put in the work to obtain one. I know this was pretty broad but please feel free to ask follow up questions if you want more information.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":207.0,"score_ratio":7.7857142857} {"post_id":"kz91du","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"As someone who may want to pursue anthropology as a career, what is the working field like? What do you do to get a paycheck? Are there branches of anthropology you can specialize in (folklore, archeology, etc.)?","c_root_id_A":"gjmi4af","c_root_id_B":"gjm2lhd","created_at_utc_A":1610906000,"created_at_utc_B":1610901677,"score_A":67,"score_B":23,"human_ref_A":"Hi, I got my BA in anthropology and focused more on the archaeology side of things. I was able to get a job as a lab technician where I basically catalog and manage the artifacts dug up by the field crew (I would've also been qualified with my degree to be a part of the field crew). My daily work consists of washing\/sorting\/identifying\/researching\/labeling\/mending the artifacts. I really love the job but the pay isn't great (~$25,000 a year) and I'm probably looking at a master's degree in the near future in order to have some upward mobility.","human_ref_B":"I\u2019m not someone in the field of anthropology, but there are a lot of associated fields. I\u2019m currently studying linguistics, which also has occasional overlap with anthropology, especially linguists who document dying languages. I think it helps if you know specifically what part of anthropology you\u2019re interested in to get a good answer to this question","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4323.0,"score_ratio":2.9130434783} {"post_id":"kz91du","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"As someone who may want to pursue anthropology as a career, what is the working field like? What do you do to get a paycheck? Are there branches of anthropology you can specialize in (folklore, archeology, etc.)?","c_root_id_A":"gjmxa8a","c_root_id_B":"gjnk88i","created_at_utc_A":1610910779,"created_at_utc_B":1610920945,"score_A":14,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"BA honours Anthro, currently in grad school for resource management and planning. Becoming a city planner or negotiator I estimate I\u2019ll be making around $115k a year (CAD) but it is applied anthro, more social science with an environmental foundation. I\u2019m in bliss though as that\u2019s my interest","human_ref_B":"If you're looking for money, anthropology is certainly not the field for you. Jobs are rare and there are way too many overqualified people trying for the same jobs. Honestly, a lot of it is really fascinating, but building a life around academic anthro can be real challenging. Within the field, you likely won't make enough money to get a house or comfortably raise a family until you get a PhD, do a few postdocs and land tenure track. So, mid to late 30s if you start straight out of high school if you're lucky, and that's still young. I do not regret my degree or any of my field work as it was some of my best memories but I def needed away from the stress and the financial freedom to live comfortably and enjoy my other hobbies. Good news is, once you have a degree, it's not terribly hard to pivot your career somewhere else. Not trying to talk bad about it, but I've been through it, was a top student and just saw everyone around me burn out in graduate school, especially when the realities of the future become more clear. Some are lucky, though. And for some this is their life's work and then it's totally worth it. There's just a lot of sacrifice that accompanies anthro as a career","labels":0,"seconds_difference":10166.0,"score_ratio":1.2857142857} {"post_id":"kz91du","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"As someone who may want to pursue anthropology as a career, what is the working field like? What do you do to get a paycheck? Are there branches of anthropology you can specialize in (folklore, archeology, etc.)?","c_root_id_A":"gjn8lba","c_root_id_B":"gjnk88i","created_at_utc_A":1610915692,"created_at_utc_B":1610920945,"score_A":7,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"Just received my BA in anthropology, but I decided to keep going to get a masters in Nutrition (of course taking a lot of lower-level nutrition courses too) to become an RD. I hope to do some work in Nutrigenomics one day!","human_ref_B":"If you're looking for money, anthropology is certainly not the field for you. Jobs are rare and there are way too many overqualified people trying for the same jobs. Honestly, a lot of it is really fascinating, but building a life around academic anthro can be real challenging. Within the field, you likely won't make enough money to get a house or comfortably raise a family until you get a PhD, do a few postdocs and land tenure track. So, mid to late 30s if you start straight out of high school if you're lucky, and that's still young. I do not regret my degree or any of my field work as it was some of my best memories but I def needed away from the stress and the financial freedom to live comfortably and enjoy my other hobbies. Good news is, once you have a degree, it's not terribly hard to pivot your career somewhere else. Not trying to talk bad about it, but I've been through it, was a top student and just saw everyone around me burn out in graduate school, especially when the realities of the future become more clear. Some are lucky, though. And for some this is their life's work and then it's totally worth it. There's just a lot of sacrifice that accompanies anthro as a career","labels":0,"seconds_difference":5253.0,"score_ratio":2.5714285714} {"post_id":"oyf0h7","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Do we have any cultural memory, whether in myths or stories, of the Neolithic or even the Paleolithic? Humans have an amazing ability to tell stories and remember events from the far far past, one of our greatest strengths I would say. However do any non Stone Age peoples (ie those who go not currently nor recently used stone or bones as the primary material for the creation of tools and objects) have a cultural memory of the Neo or Paleolithic? Are there any cultural memories of the time before we discovered how to farm?","c_root_id_A":"h7thp0l","c_root_id_B":"h7tpi1d","created_at_utc_A":1628177692,"created_at_utc_B":1628180931,"score_A":100,"score_B":113,"human_ref_A":"Folklorist Sara Gra\u00e7a da Silva and anthropologist Jamie Tehrani found that the oldest story they could find, \"The Smith and the Devil\" which appears in some form in a number of Indo-European cultures, probably dates back to around 6,000 years ago. So early bronze age, not quite neolithic. It's possible, of course that some non-European folktales or some cultural artifacts that aren't folktales are older, but I don't know of any examples. Source: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4736946\/","human_ref_B":"Australian Aboriginal oral history is generally regarded as the oldest \"accurate\" history in the world. I think it may touch on Paleolithic, but definitely stretches far back into the Neolithic. Petroglyphs of extinct flora and fauna, geological evidence of changing landmass and climate, etc. all confirm the veracity of the stories they tell. This is the case for Australians that are many many generations removed from their \"traditional\" way of life- the oral traditions were always important, but became a lifeline as they were forcibly removed from their lands and made to conform with western society, so maybe that's why it remained so strong. I hope an actual anthropologist can chime in on this with more examples, as it fascinates me as well!","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3239.0,"score_ratio":1.13} {"post_id":"oyf0h7","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Do we have any cultural memory, whether in myths or stories, of the Neolithic or even the Paleolithic? Humans have an amazing ability to tell stories and remember events from the far far past, one of our greatest strengths I would say. However do any non Stone Age peoples (ie those who go not currently nor recently used stone or bones as the primary material for the creation of tools and objects) have a cultural memory of the Neo or Paleolithic? Are there any cultural memories of the time before we discovered how to farm?","c_root_id_A":"h7tpi1d","c_root_id_B":"h7t77ki","created_at_utc_A":1628180931,"created_at_utc_B":1628173542,"score_A":113,"score_B":70,"human_ref_A":"Australian Aboriginal oral history is generally regarded as the oldest \"accurate\" history in the world. I think it may touch on Paleolithic, but definitely stretches far back into the Neolithic. Petroglyphs of extinct flora and fauna, geological evidence of changing landmass and climate, etc. all confirm the veracity of the stories they tell. This is the case for Australians that are many many generations removed from their \"traditional\" way of life- the oral traditions were always important, but became a lifeline as they were forcibly removed from their lands and made to conform with western society, so maybe that's why it remained so strong. I hope an actual anthropologist can chime in on this with more examples, as it fascinates me as well!","human_ref_B":"Shit you know when you know something cuz you read it a long time ago and can\u2019t find the source now? That\u2019s the stuck state of mind I\u2019m in and it\u2019s very frustrating lol. So one instance I can think of (but damnably can\u2019t find the source) is various cultures around the world and their stories of what we now call the Pleiades. There seems to be a long standing tradition of them being referred to as the Seven Sisters, and\/or stories of how one sister got lost or disappeared. However, in modern times, only six stars can be discerned with the naked eye. Astronomers and anthropologists have asked themselves why this glaringly obvious numeric error has persisted. Astronomers set up a model of the stars and turned it back thousands of years until they found the missing seventh star. Turns out X number of years ago the seventh star would be clearly visible to the naked eye, but over he course of thousands of years it slowly \u201cmerged\u201d with another star in the constellation, making it seem as though it disappeared. I\u2019m at work and don\u2019t have time to dig through sources but if I find it I\u2019ll update!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":7389.0,"score_ratio":1.6142857143} {"post_id":"oyf0h7","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Do we have any cultural memory, whether in myths or stories, of the Neolithic or even the Paleolithic? Humans have an amazing ability to tell stories and remember events from the far far past, one of our greatest strengths I would say. However do any non Stone Age peoples (ie those who go not currently nor recently used stone or bones as the primary material for the creation of tools and objects) have a cultural memory of the Neo or Paleolithic? Are there any cultural memories of the time before we discovered how to farm?","c_root_id_A":"h7thp0l","c_root_id_B":"h7t77ki","created_at_utc_A":1628177692,"created_at_utc_B":1628173542,"score_A":100,"score_B":70,"human_ref_A":"Folklorist Sara Gra\u00e7a da Silva and anthropologist Jamie Tehrani found that the oldest story they could find, \"The Smith and the Devil\" which appears in some form in a number of Indo-European cultures, probably dates back to around 6,000 years ago. So early bronze age, not quite neolithic. It's possible, of course that some non-European folktales or some cultural artifacts that aren't folktales are older, but I don't know of any examples. Source: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4736946\/","human_ref_B":"Shit you know when you know something cuz you read it a long time ago and can\u2019t find the source now? That\u2019s the stuck state of mind I\u2019m in and it\u2019s very frustrating lol. So one instance I can think of (but damnably can\u2019t find the source) is various cultures around the world and their stories of what we now call the Pleiades. There seems to be a long standing tradition of them being referred to as the Seven Sisters, and\/or stories of how one sister got lost or disappeared. However, in modern times, only six stars can be discerned with the naked eye. Astronomers and anthropologists have asked themselves why this glaringly obvious numeric error has persisted. Astronomers set up a model of the stars and turned it back thousands of years until they found the missing seventh star. Turns out X number of years ago the seventh star would be clearly visible to the naked eye, but over he course of thousands of years it slowly \u201cmerged\u201d with another star in the constellation, making it seem as though it disappeared. I\u2019m at work and don\u2019t have time to dig through sources but if I find it I\u2019ll update!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4150.0,"score_ratio":1.4285714286} {"post_id":"oyf0h7","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Do we have any cultural memory, whether in myths or stories, of the Neolithic or even the Paleolithic? Humans have an amazing ability to tell stories and remember events from the far far past, one of our greatest strengths I would say. However do any non Stone Age peoples (ie those who go not currently nor recently used stone or bones as the primary material for the creation of tools and objects) have a cultural memory of the Neo or Paleolithic? Are there any cultural memories of the time before we discovered how to farm?","c_root_id_A":"h7usq3b","c_root_id_B":"h7v2xh1","created_at_utc_A":1628196983,"created_at_utc_B":1628201392,"score_A":10,"score_B":26,"human_ref_A":"From an anthropological perspective, elements of stories may be thousands of years old, and stories may be accurately reproduced orally for much longer than we tend to think in our writing-centric societies. But to claim that specific stories have factual bases that we can directly link to actual events just doesn't hold up. Did a particular flood give rise to a particular story, or did a history of flooding produce a bunch of stories that found their way into a single story? Or did many cultures develop their own flood stories because of how often the world flooded and these stories are unconnected? There is no way to answer these questions, and if someone tells you they can answer unanswerable questions, you should be especially skeptical.","human_ref_B":"One example that occurs to me is the castration of Uranus by Cronus. In the myth, this was allegedly done with a sickle made of flints. Such an implement resembles a genuine Neolithic article: https:\/\/www.google.ca\/amp\/s\/www.haaretz.com\/amp\/archaeology\/flint-sickles-prove-grain-cultivation-in-galilee-23-000-years-ago-1.5436385 There appears no reason for a Greek myth to specify that Cronus used a **flint** sickle, except to emphasize the \u201cancient\u201d atmosphere of the story (this all happed in a primordial age, in the myth). It is reasonable to speculate this represents a cultural survival of a memory of an ancient, pre-metal using era.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4409.0,"score_ratio":2.6} {"post_id":"ymupq6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Human brains started to decreased in size circa 3000 years ago, and self-domestication is considered one reason for it by comparing head sizes in domesticated animals vs their wild counterparts. Have human brains ever been observed to be larger in cases of feral children?","c_root_id_A":"iv6hhdl","c_root_id_B":"iv5lcrg","created_at_utc_A":1667671069,"created_at_utc_B":1667657557,"score_A":90,"score_B":83,"human_ref_A":"the other problem is that feral children are exceptionally rare. many are just severely neglected children, which I would consider different from being raised in the wild. some feral children just had an intellectual disability that was misunderstood in their context. other cases have turned out to be fraud. even if you did find a \u201ctrue\u201d feral child, the sample size would be exceptionally small and therefore not worth a lot.","human_ref_B":"Please provide sources. That's a good starting point. It will help everyone really think about brain size. Please review the following article: https:\/\/www.unlv.edu\/news\/release\/unlv-research-no-human-brain-did-not-shrink-3000-years-ago","labels":1,"seconds_difference":13512.0,"score_ratio":1.0843373494} {"post_id":"ymupq6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Human brains started to decreased in size circa 3000 years ago, and self-domestication is considered one reason for it by comparing head sizes in domesticated animals vs their wild counterparts. Have human brains ever been observed to be larger in cases of feral children?","c_root_id_A":"iv6hhdl","c_root_id_B":"iv62i11","created_at_utc_A":1667671069,"created_at_utc_B":1667665072,"score_A":90,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"the other problem is that feral children are exceptionally rare. many are just severely neglected children, which I would consider different from being raised in the wild. some feral children just had an intellectual disability that was misunderstood in their context. other cases have turned out to be fraud. even if you did find a \u201ctrue\u201d feral child, the sample size would be exceptionally small and therefore not worth a lot.","human_ref_B":"I'm not aware of descriptive stats on feral children brain sizes. It's a pretty small sample. Even if we had such data it would not be relevant to your questions for too many reasons for me to go into on my phone keyboard. Anyway, in regard to smaller brain sizes in general is related to body size. Body size in turn is affected by nutrition and disease and parasite processes during development. So these factors would have to be considered first. Not sure precisely what you mean by self domestication. It's sort of a meaningless concept. Are you suggesting biological evolutionary changes have occurred in the most recent 3k years?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5997.0,"score_ratio":12.8571428571} {"post_id":"ymupq6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Human brains started to decreased in size circa 3000 years ago, and self-domestication is considered one reason for it by comparing head sizes in domesticated animals vs their wild counterparts. Have human brains ever been observed to be larger in cases of feral children?","c_root_id_A":"iv70p29","c_root_id_B":"iv71zn0","created_at_utc_A":1667679084,"created_at_utc_B":1667679629,"score_A":25,"score_B":27,"human_ref_A":"I would argue the concept of self-domestication is hugely problematic and rooted in the idea that human behavior is somehow not natural behavior. If two non-human species have some kind of a close relationship and impact each other's evolution, why is that not domestication? If viruses invade our cells and impact our morphology and evolution, why don't we say that viruses have domesticated us? If domestication is defined more specifically as a set of biological changes produced by human action, then we have been domesticating ourselves for 200,000 years and there is nothing new here.","human_ref_B":"I could be missing something, but feral as a category is generally a domestic creature outside of a domestic environment. They're still biologically domestic, it's just that their behavior isn't. In order to see a meaningful difference that could be attributed to an \"undomestication\" process you'd need either a huge sample size of feral children (which doesn't exist and would be immoral to cause) or MANY generations of feral humans in order to revert back to some pre-domestication stage. Let me know if I'm wrong or missing something","labels":0,"seconds_difference":545.0,"score_ratio":1.08} {"post_id":"ymupq6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Human brains started to decreased in size circa 3000 years ago, and self-domestication is considered one reason for it by comparing head sizes in domesticated animals vs their wild counterparts. Have human brains ever been observed to be larger in cases of feral children?","c_root_id_A":"iv70p29","c_root_id_B":"iv62i11","created_at_utc_A":1667679084,"created_at_utc_B":1667665072,"score_A":25,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"I would argue the concept of self-domestication is hugely problematic and rooted in the idea that human behavior is somehow not natural behavior. If two non-human species have some kind of a close relationship and impact each other's evolution, why is that not domestication? If viruses invade our cells and impact our morphology and evolution, why don't we say that viruses have domesticated us? If domestication is defined more specifically as a set of biological changes produced by human action, then we have been domesticating ourselves for 200,000 years and there is nothing new here.","human_ref_B":"I'm not aware of descriptive stats on feral children brain sizes. It's a pretty small sample. Even if we had such data it would not be relevant to your questions for too many reasons for me to go into on my phone keyboard. Anyway, in regard to smaller brain sizes in general is related to body size. Body size in turn is affected by nutrition and disease and parasite processes during development. So these factors would have to be considered first. Not sure precisely what you mean by self domestication. It's sort of a meaningless concept. Are you suggesting biological evolutionary changes have occurred in the most recent 3k years?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":14012.0,"score_ratio":3.5714285714} {"post_id":"ymupq6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Human brains started to decreased in size circa 3000 years ago, and self-domestication is considered one reason for it by comparing head sizes in domesticated animals vs their wild counterparts. Have human brains ever been observed to be larger in cases of feral children?","c_root_id_A":"iv71zn0","c_root_id_B":"iv62i11","created_at_utc_A":1667679629,"created_at_utc_B":1667665072,"score_A":27,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"I could be missing something, but feral as a category is generally a domestic creature outside of a domestic environment. They're still biologically domestic, it's just that their behavior isn't. In order to see a meaningful difference that could be attributed to an \"undomestication\" process you'd need either a huge sample size of feral children (which doesn't exist and would be immoral to cause) or MANY generations of feral humans in order to revert back to some pre-domestication stage. Let me know if I'm wrong or missing something","human_ref_B":"I'm not aware of descriptive stats on feral children brain sizes. It's a pretty small sample. Even if we had such data it would not be relevant to your questions for too many reasons for me to go into on my phone keyboard. Anyway, in regard to smaller brain sizes in general is related to body size. Body size in turn is affected by nutrition and disease and parasite processes during development. So these factors would have to be considered first. Not sure precisely what you mean by self domestication. It's sort of a meaningless concept. Are you suggesting biological evolutionary changes have occurred in the most recent 3k years?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":14557.0,"score_ratio":3.8571428571} {"post_id":"ymupq6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Human brains started to decreased in size circa 3000 years ago, and self-domestication is considered one reason for it by comparing head sizes in domesticated animals vs their wild counterparts. Have human brains ever been observed to be larger in cases of feral children?","c_root_id_A":"iva1cme","c_root_id_B":"iv92u1c","created_at_utc_A":1667740758,"created_at_utc_B":1667714227,"score_A":6,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"A quick but important note: when we talk about \"self domestication,\" we are not talking about significant changes within *Homo sapiens*. Rather, the phrase references *Homo sapiens* as the domesticated hominin, and earlier chronospecies (e.g., the Australopithecines, early *Homo*, etc.) as the less \"domesticated\" examples.","human_ref_B":"I doubt that would be the case because humans are naturally social animals. A true \"wild type\" human would be someone living in a close-knit community of hunter-gatherers, not a sole child fending for itself.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":26531.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"ymupq6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Human brains started to decreased in size circa 3000 years ago, and self-domestication is considered one reason for it by comparing head sizes in domesticated animals vs their wild counterparts. Have human brains ever been observed to be larger in cases of feral children?","c_root_id_A":"iva7rv9","c_root_id_B":"iv92u1c","created_at_utc_A":1667743837,"created_at_utc_B":1667714227,"score_A":4,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"I might be way off the mark here so correct me if I'm wrong, but could this be observed in the inhabitants of Sentinel Island? They are a very close-knit group who have avoided contact with outsiders (excluding a few curious explorers) throughout human history. They have also been described as being very violent towards outsiders by the few people who have come close to them. Though we know little about them, we do know that they are very primitive in their use of tools and technology. The few accounts we have of contact with the Sentinelese depict them as barely clothed, wielding wooden spears and unfamiliar with the concept of fire. The Sentinelese are the only group I am aware of that strikes me as being truly 'feral' or 'undomesticated' so if what you are asking is correct, they would provide a subject size substantial enough to definitively observe this. What I am saying is completely theoretical of course as it would be next to impossible to get near enough to them to investigate this any further. Still, it is an interesting thought but, again, I am in no way an expert on this so please correct me if I'm wrong.","human_ref_B":"I doubt that would be the case because humans are naturally social animals. A true \"wild type\" human would be someone living in a close-knit community of hunter-gatherers, not a sole child fending for itself.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":29610.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"j0qgr0","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"Why do some coastal ethnic groups refuse to eat fish?","c_root_id_A":"g6uf6q9","c_root_id_B":"g6v5ely","created_at_utc_A":1601211667,"created_at_utc_B":1601226621,"score_A":41,"score_B":79,"human_ref_A":"Could you provide an example of this?","human_ref_B":"So generally explanations for dietary restrictions (such as Apache not eating fish or Enawen\u00ea-Naw\u00ea not eating red meat) places these prohibitions as part of a broader symbolic system. For example I believe Leach had a theory that animals fit for consumption are those which are neither considered too exotic nor too familiar. Mary Douglas had an analysis of biblical dietary prohibitions which argued that they were based on animals 'obeying' the characteristics that were expected of them (birds fly, so flightless birds should not be consumed). And going off of Mary Douglas, the best answer to the why of prohibitions would probably be to protect against\/limit contagion\/pollution emanating from certain substances (though this may also be relative, as appears to have been the case in Hawai'i \\[according to Sahlins\\], what was polluting to a man was not polluting to a woman). Now \\*why\\* specific foodstuffs are considered polluting? I can't think of any attempts to construct a grand synthetic theory on the subject.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":14954.0,"score_ratio":1.9268292683} {"post_id":"j0qgr0","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.99,"history":"Why do some coastal ethnic groups refuse to eat fish?","c_root_id_A":"g6uf6q9","c_root_id_B":"g6vtely","created_at_utc_A":1601211667,"created_at_utc_B":1601237844,"score_A":41,"score_B":76,"human_ref_A":"Could you provide an example of this?","human_ref_B":"This isn\u2019t to answer your question, but something like this happened in Indonesia after the tsunami. A journalist was covering the after damages to the economy. He spoke to a fisherman, who said no one was buying\/eating the fish. Why? the journalist asked. The fisherman replied, \u201cBecause the fish are eating the dead who washed out to sea.\u201d","labels":0,"seconds_difference":26177.0,"score_ratio":1.8536585366} {"post_id":"iowre6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"Is there a book or docu about the evolution of ideas, beliefs, values and just the overal zeitgeist throughout humanity's history? Is there a book or docu about the evolution of ideas, beliefs, values and just the overal zeitgeist throughout humanity's history?","c_root_id_A":"g4hoby0","c_root_id_B":"g4jk2em","created_at_utc_A":1599605686,"created_at_utc_B":1599657128,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Not exactly what you stated but an amazing book about the evolution and influence of a very particular idea\u2014the concept of debt\u2014by an author who just died a couple of days ago is \"Debt: The First 5,000 Years\" by David Graeber. Awesome book! Check it out, def worth a read!","human_ref_B":"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/408204.Ideas This is probably a good approximation to what you are looking for, from a perspective that is not technical","labels":0,"seconds_difference":51442.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"iowre6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"Is there a book or docu about the evolution of ideas, beliefs, values and just the overal zeitgeist throughout humanity's history? Is there a book or docu about the evolution of ideas, beliefs, values and just the overal zeitgeist throughout humanity's history?","c_root_id_A":"g4jeokr","c_root_id_B":"g4jk2em","created_at_utc_A":1599653282,"created_at_utc_B":1599657128,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Would the change in scientific beliefs be something of interest to you? There's Thomas Kuhn and Imre Lakatos if so. Probably far more but that's all I personally know of haha.","human_ref_B":"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/408204.Ideas This is probably a good approximation to what you are looking for, from a perspective that is not technical","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3846.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"arhrsy","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.98,"history":"Are human faces objectively more different from each other than animal faces? Or are our minds just better tuned to perceive differences between human faces than, say, horse faces? I remember seeing a study a while ago saying that just like how humans are really good at picking out different faces, giraffes can tell each other apart based on spot pattern. Is this true? And sorry if this isn't the right subreddit, it seems most fitting though.","c_root_id_A":"egnj71e","c_root_id_B":"egnismf","created_at_utc_A":1550395877,"created_at_utc_B":1550395156,"score_A":58,"score_B":14,"human_ref_A":"It depends heavily on the species. Some species are almost identical, but use other senses such as scent to distinguish one another. Some have crazy amounts of divergence. Diamondback terrapins, for instance, have extremely distinctive patterning on their heads. Also, any species where either sex actively chooses a mate from among several options will have some way of distinguishing eachother. So, basically, its common for animals to have individual differences, but it\u2019s not always in the face\/head region.","human_ref_B":"> And sorry if this isn't the right subreddit, it seems most fitting though. \/r\/askscience looks a better fit","labels":1,"seconds_difference":721.0,"score_ratio":4.1428571429} {"post_id":"arhrsy","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.98,"history":"Are human faces objectively more different from each other than animal faces? Or are our minds just better tuned to perceive differences between human faces than, say, horse faces? I remember seeing a study a while ago saying that just like how humans are really good at picking out different faces, giraffes can tell each other apart based on spot pattern. Is this true? And sorry if this isn't the right subreddit, it seems most fitting though.","c_root_id_A":"egnsjbc","c_root_id_B":"egnismf","created_at_utc_A":1550410985,"created_at_utc_B":1550395156,"score_A":28,"score_B":14,"human_ref_A":"Facial recognition is very common in animals, not surprising as facial expressions are also incredibly important to them. Yes giraffes can recognize spot patterns as well as faces. Cats and sheep rely on facial recognition and expressions. Virtually any social creature can do so. https:\/\/skybiometry.com\/facial-recognition-easy-task-animals\/ http:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar_url?url=https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Kevin_Broad\/publication\/223759779_Facial_and_vocal_discrimination_in_sheep\/links\/5ae2eb02aca272fdaf8fcbe7\/Facial-and-vocal-discrimination-in-sheep.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm0qhdCtSSqrtCs9_uMAaDUNY-3kPg&nossl=1&oi=scholarr http:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar_url?url=http:\/\/www.academia.edu\/download\/42213749\/Face_recognition_in_primates_a_cross-spe20160206-1436-j0e5nv.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&scisig=AAGBfm2-F9G3eKP0ZUozY0DtmfXm8OWrMw&nossl=1&oi=scholarr","human_ref_B":"> And sorry if this isn't the right subreddit, it seems most fitting though. \/r\/askscience looks a better fit","labels":1,"seconds_difference":15829.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izp6b26","c_root_id_B":"izp7ac9","created_at_utc_A":1670703450,"created_at_utc_B":1670703868,"score_A":27,"score_B":87,"human_ref_A":"Here's The Gift by Marcel Mauss. You can easily search it to find details about specific economies that have an element of aggression in their gift-giving.","human_ref_B":">There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Not really a \"weapon\", but the Potlach is probably what you're thinking of. It's the classic example of the production of social status and power through giving away\/ destroying objects. It was a major focus of Franz Boas during his work with the Kwakiutl, and it gets brought up in introductory ANTH courses a lot. Mauss also discusses the Potlach in *The Gift*.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":418.0,"score_ratio":3.2222222222} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izp6b26","c_root_id_B":"izphv53","created_at_utc_A":1670703450,"created_at_utc_B":1670708125,"score_A":27,"score_B":48,"human_ref_A":"Here's The Gift by Marcel Mauss. You can easily search it to find details about specific economies that have an element of aggression in their gift-giving.","human_ref_B":"I am not sure if this is the type of community you are looking for, but organized crime in various times\/locales has used this tactic famously. They will perform a \"favor\" for someone who ends up being forever in debt financially\/pschologically to the organization and effectively becomes a puppet that can be easily discarded\/ruined\/killed when they are no longer of any benefit to the organization.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4675.0,"score_ratio":1.7777777778} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izpf6sz","c_root_id_B":"izphv53","created_at_utc_A":1670707010,"created_at_utc_B":1670708125,"score_A":22,"score_B":48,"human_ref_A":"Here I found a copy of the specific essay your question made me think of, \u201cReciprocity and the Power of Giving\u201d by Lee Cronk. It\u2019s pulled directly from a textbook for intro Cultural Anth, so it may be something you\u2019ve read previously, but it has some information about manipulative gifting practices.","human_ref_B":"I am not sure if this is the type of community you are looking for, but organized crime in various times\/locales has used this tactic famously. They will perform a \"favor\" for someone who ends up being forever in debt financially\/pschologically to the organization and effectively becomes a puppet that can be easily discarded\/ruined\/killed when they are no longer of any benefit to the organization.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1115.0,"score_ratio":2.1818181818} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izp6b26","c_root_id_B":"izqc3it","created_at_utc_A":1670703450,"created_at_utc_B":1670722323,"score_A":27,"score_B":41,"human_ref_A":"Here's The Gift by Marcel Mauss. You can easily search it to find details about specific economies that have an element of aggression in their gift-giving.","human_ref_B":"I'm reminded of the origin of the phrase \"white elephant\": https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/White_elephant TL;DR: as a south-east Asian monarch, give your neighbouring monarch a rare pale-coloured elephant as a gift. White elephants are sacred, so they can't be used for work in the way that 'normal' elephants are, but you've still got to feed and care for it because it's so special. So your neighbouring monarch now has a big elephant-shaped hole that they'll need to throw money into for a very long time!","labels":0,"seconds_difference":18873.0,"score_ratio":1.5185185185} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izqc3it","c_root_id_B":"izpf6sz","created_at_utc_A":1670722323,"created_at_utc_B":1670707010,"score_A":41,"score_B":22,"human_ref_A":"I'm reminded of the origin of the phrase \"white elephant\": https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/White_elephant TL;DR: as a south-east Asian monarch, give your neighbouring monarch a rare pale-coloured elephant as a gift. White elephants are sacred, so they can't be used for work in the way that 'normal' elephants are, but you've still got to feed and care for it because it's so special. So your neighbouring monarch now has a big elephant-shaped hole that they'll need to throw money into for a very long time!","human_ref_B":"Here I found a copy of the specific essay your question made me think of, \u201cReciprocity and the Power of Giving\u201d by Lee Cronk. It\u2019s pulled directly from a textbook for intro Cultural Anth, so it may be something you\u2019ve read previously, but it has some information about manipulative gifting practices.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":15313.0,"score_ratio":1.8636363636} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izr62qu","c_root_id_B":"izrjr8l","created_at_utc_A":1670737930,"created_at_utc_B":1670747701,"score_A":7,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"The term \"white elephant\" is from Thailand I believe, where irritated rulers would bestow upon people a gift of an albino elephant, which would presumably exact a heavy toll in terms of cost and maintenance.","human_ref_B":"Sounds like the World Bank and the IMF - https:\/\/countercurrents.org\/2019\/03\/weaponizing-the-world-bank-and-imf\/ https:\/\/www.imf.org\/en\/About\/Factsheets\/Sheets\/2016\/08\/02\/21\/28\/IMF-Conditionality http:\/\/nolaworkers.org\/2019\/11\/10\/the-world-bank-and-the-imf-weapons-of-economic-warfare\/ https:\/\/www.phenomenalworld.org\/interviews\/imf-bretton-woods\/ https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2015\/6\/19\/headlines\/greek\\_debt\\_talks\\_fail\\_to\\_break\\_deadlock\\_imf\\_rejects\\_loan\\_extension","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9771.0,"score_ratio":1.1428571429} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izs8lwt","c_root_id_B":"izs64cy","created_at_utc_A":1670766422,"created_at_utc_B":1670765102,"score_A":6,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"Onka's big Moka is an ethnographic film about a man in Papua New Guinea whose culture has a practice of throwing progressively larger feasts combined with gift giving. Those in attendance receive gifts but are forced to acknowledge the gift-givers supremacy. This takes place primarily in terms of *how many pigs* he can slaughter \/ give away for one big party. 'A man is nothing without pigs' he says. The gifts also include literal cash and I think even a Jeep makes it into the mix as part of the booty if I recall. They take this practice so seriously that his rivals actually try to spoil the festivities by accusing him of sorcery, which spooks the people in attendance and becomes a big distraction before the main event. They do this hoping that his 'Moka' might fail and he cannot claim the status it would bestow on him if successful. It's 'weaponized' in that once the gifts are given, someone else has to outdo him if they want to raise their own status. Like a Moka leaderboard. A successful Moka means other men are lowered down in the social hierarchy, the giver is raised up. People are so threatened by it they are willing to sow discord and potentially kill to stop it. They are going to get lots of useful free stuff and food but they don't want to suffer the social degradation of accepting them. I won't spoil the ending but it's very interesting to see it all unfold. Amazing that this was all captured on film.","human_ref_B":"1763\u201364: Britain wages biological warfare with smallpox The British give smallpox-contaminated blankets to Shawnee and Lenape (Delaware) communities\u2014an action sanctioned by the British officers Sir Jeffery Amherst and his replacement, General Thomas Gage.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":1320.0,"score_ratio":1.2} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izs8lwt","c_root_id_B":"izrw5al","created_at_utc_A":1670766422,"created_at_utc_B":1670758419,"score_A":6,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Onka's big Moka is an ethnographic film about a man in Papua New Guinea whose culture has a practice of throwing progressively larger feasts combined with gift giving. Those in attendance receive gifts but are forced to acknowledge the gift-givers supremacy. This takes place primarily in terms of *how many pigs* he can slaughter \/ give away for one big party. 'A man is nothing without pigs' he says. The gifts also include literal cash and I think even a Jeep makes it into the mix as part of the booty if I recall. They take this practice so seriously that his rivals actually try to spoil the festivities by accusing him of sorcery, which spooks the people in attendance and becomes a big distraction before the main event. They do this hoping that his 'Moka' might fail and he cannot claim the status it would bestow on him if successful. It's 'weaponized' in that once the gifts are given, someone else has to outdo him if they want to raise their own status. Like a Moka leaderboard. A successful Moka means other men are lowered down in the social hierarchy, the giver is raised up. People are so threatened by it they are willing to sow discord and potentially kill to stop it. They are going to get lots of useful free stuff and food but they don't want to suffer the social degradation of accepting them. I won't spoil the ending but it's very interesting to see it all unfold. Amazing that this was all captured on film.","human_ref_B":"I had read that Anglo Saxon culture featured something like this, with nobles giving gifts to their household as a sign of power, but also reinforcing the quid pro quo obligation of the recipients. Can anyone elaborate on this?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":8003.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izrw5al","c_root_id_B":"izs64cy","created_at_utc_A":1670758419,"created_at_utc_B":1670765102,"score_A":4,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"I had read that Anglo Saxon culture featured something like this, with nobles giving gifts to their household as a sign of power, but also reinforcing the quid pro quo obligation of the recipients. Can anyone elaborate on this?","human_ref_B":"1763\u201364: Britain wages biological warfare with smallpox The British give smallpox-contaminated blankets to Shawnee and Lenape (Delaware) communities\u2014an action sanctioned by the British officers Sir Jeffery Amherst and his replacement, General Thomas Gage.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":6683.0,"score_ratio":1.25} {"post_id":"zi0yt9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Which communities used gift giving as a \"weapon\"? In my anthropology course back in university we had a course on \"weaponized gift giving\" which was basically about certain groups of people\/cultures that gave gifts as a means of inflicting their power over a neighboring tribe\/group. They used giving gifts as a way of indebting someone to them. Unfortunately I forgot which cultures\/communities were mentioned in that course. Any ideas? We talked a bit as well about \"cargo cults\" as well but this specific discussion was different. One example I remember is a person in a community\/tribe insulted the leader. What the leader of this community\/tribe did was go and give him a present. As per their culture he had to give a gift of equal or greater value or would be shunned (among other social and religious repercussions I can't remember), being less wealthy then the leader this other person eventually went bankrupt trying to repay the leaders gifts. There was also a story including Canadian first nations peoples but I don't remember which tribes and in what time period. Any help on some base information so I can look into it more would be great!","c_root_id_A":"izssw8y","c_root_id_B":"izsnpvo","created_at_utc_A":1670775493,"created_at_utc_B":1670773335,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"Although other answers seem to be accurate with your specific description I think you would be interested in the practice of the Inca empire of giving gifts to neighboring kingdoms with the implicit intention of subjugation and if they were to reject the gift then a military conquest was soon to follow.","human_ref_B":"I highly recommend \u201cThe Creation of Inequality\u201d by Flannery and Marcus, this book delves into the questions you ask and is overall a great read!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2158.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"remet1","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.98,"history":"Any thoughts on \u201cThe Dawn of Everything\u201d I saw this article. In general I tend to be very wary of any anthropological headlines in mainstream journalism, particularly anything claiming to upend consensus. But the article does seem to suggest it's evidence-based, well-sourced and at least pointed in the right direction. I was wondering if anybody here had read it and had some thoughts, or heard feedback from somebody in the field? Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!","c_root_id_A":"ho9nq4g","c_root_id_B":"ho96rw9","created_at_utc_A":1639329403,"created_at_utc_B":1639322437,"score_A":41,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"I cannot overstate how thorough the book is in its evidence. The notes + citations are over 150 pages by themselves, or about 1\/5th of the full print (also the notes are sometimes hilarious and informative, and I would recommend checking them). I've been reading the book alongside several friends of mine involved in different areas of academia (grad students in econ, philosophy, etc.) and they have been impressed\/astonished by how thorough the evidence is for each point Graeber and Wengrow make. The authors are also not shy about admitting when they *are* speculating, and are careful not to make any definitive statements from those speculations. E: typo","human_ref_B":"Not quite half way through yet and am listening via audiobook. I am generally quite happy about it and thus far think it should help lay people get away from the typical universalities of anthropology mainstream anthropology books leave people with. It seems to be a bit Gladwellian in that it attacks assumed premises (which is interesting and fine) but I am interested to pick up a hard copy and look though the references and bibliography as I have an inkling the authors are citing themselves a lot","labels":1,"seconds_difference":6966.0,"score_ratio":5.125} {"post_id":"remet1","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.98,"history":"Any thoughts on \u201cThe Dawn of Everything\u201d I saw this article. In general I tend to be very wary of any anthropological headlines in mainstream journalism, particularly anything claiming to upend consensus. But the article does seem to suggest it's evidence-based, well-sourced and at least pointed in the right direction. I was wondering if anybody here had read it and had some thoughts, or heard feedback from somebody in the field? Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!","c_root_id_A":"hobchqy","c_root_id_B":"hoby677","created_at_utc_A":1639354017,"created_at_utc_B":1639363871,"score_A":9,"score_B":19,"human_ref_A":"Very long and detailed footnotes, I've been going through the referenced research and papers, no issues so far. Wengrow's work is quite important and relevant as well. Great book overall.","human_ref_B":"a historian of early modern Europe David Bell nit-pick criticized a section in the book but further research revealed that Bell is writing out of insecurity\/fear because the section he is critising(against European myth of linear progress) sort of reduces the glory of his field. Tunnel-visioned academics and experts always scare me. here is the response from Wengrow himself; https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidwengrow\/status\/1462056599195947011?s=20 here is the paper I found to be in line with Graeber\/Wengrow https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/967897 Overall, great book.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9854.0,"score_ratio":2.1111111111} {"post_id":"remet1","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.98,"history":"Any thoughts on \u201cThe Dawn of Everything\u201d I saw this article. In general I tend to be very wary of any anthropological headlines in mainstream journalism, particularly anything claiming to upend consensus. But the article does seem to suggest it's evidence-based, well-sourced and at least pointed in the right direction. I was wondering if anybody here had read it and had some thoughts, or heard feedback from somebody in the field? Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!","c_root_id_A":"hoby677","c_root_id_B":"ho96rw9","created_at_utc_A":1639363871,"created_at_utc_B":1639322437,"score_A":19,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"a historian of early modern Europe David Bell nit-pick criticized a section in the book but further research revealed that Bell is writing out of insecurity\/fear because the section he is critising(against European myth of linear progress) sort of reduces the glory of his field. Tunnel-visioned academics and experts always scare me. here is the response from Wengrow himself; https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidwengrow\/status\/1462056599195947011?s=20 here is the paper I found to be in line with Graeber\/Wengrow https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/967897 Overall, great book.","human_ref_B":"Not quite half way through yet and am listening via audiobook. I am generally quite happy about it and thus far think it should help lay people get away from the typical universalities of anthropology mainstream anthropology books leave people with. It seems to be a bit Gladwellian in that it attacks assumed premises (which is interesting and fine) but I am interested to pick up a hard copy and look though the references and bibliography as I have an inkling the authors are citing themselves a lot","labels":1,"seconds_difference":41434.0,"score_ratio":2.375} {"post_id":"remet1","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.98,"history":"Any thoughts on \u201cThe Dawn of Everything\u201d I saw this article. In general I tend to be very wary of any anthropological headlines in mainstream journalism, particularly anything claiming to upend consensus. But the article does seem to suggest it's evidence-based, well-sourced and at least pointed in the right direction. I was wondering if anybody here had read it and had some thoughts, or heard feedback from somebody in the field? Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!","c_root_id_A":"hobchqy","c_root_id_B":"ho96rw9","created_at_utc_A":1639354017,"created_at_utc_B":1639322437,"score_A":9,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"Very long and detailed footnotes, I've been going through the referenced research and papers, no issues so far. Wengrow's work is quite important and relevant as well. Great book overall.","human_ref_B":"Not quite half way through yet and am listening via audiobook. I am generally quite happy about it and thus far think it should help lay people get away from the typical universalities of anthropology mainstream anthropology books leave people with. It seems to be a bit Gladwellian in that it attacks assumed premises (which is interesting and fine) but I am interested to pick up a hard copy and look though the references and bibliography as I have an inkling the authors are citing themselves a lot","labels":1,"seconds_difference":31580.0,"score_ratio":1.125} {"post_id":"jyc7vw","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"Why would a culture choose to not create coinage There is a tribal group that is known to have long reaching trade with the Mediterranean world, has access to silver deposits and direct neighbours producing coins in the first\/second century BCE but is believed to not have created their own coinage. Why did tribal groups create coins if not for long distance trade and why would a group choose to not create their own coins when they had the knowledge, the reason and the access? Just a sidenote: the specific case I'm thinking of are the Dumnonii","c_root_id_A":"gd2z2h5","c_root_id_B":"gd2zefb","created_at_utc_A":1605980399,"created_at_utc_B":1605980523,"score_A":6,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"I admit I'm not familiar with the Dumonii so I don't know if this was their case but since you have asked generally, it is possible that the culture would have a working non-market-based economic system and coinage was something they exclusively used for external trade so they never felt a need to mint their own coins. You can see many examples of cultures using reciprocity-based economy as way to distribute goods. Best described in this aspect are cultures of New Guinea and Melanesia. There's for example a phenomenon of \"big men\" as described by an anthropologist Marshal Sahlins where leaders of individual groups compete against each other in generosity and ability to provide for each other, to become the titular big man who balances the best redistributing goods in his own group and exchanging gifts with other groups. In the modern times, the leaders may use money to buy all the things but within their group, goods are redistributed by them and in that way there's no use for their own money. I recommend you a 1970's documentary *Ongka's Big Moka* about one such exchange (in the light of the tradition dying out). A classic essay *The Gift* by Marcel Mauss explains a reciprocity-based economy and provides more different examples. You can often hear people saying that people in the past used barter and as the society grew larger and jobs differentiated, it was replaced by money as a logical consequence. In fact, we don't really know whether barter was ever used as a main, society-wide economic system, rather it was the reciprocity-based economy.","human_ref_B":"So, I\u2019m a economist rather than an anthropologist, but here\u2019s my understanding as what I focus on in part is properties of money, money systems, and the development of national currency. To begin, as another suggested, you can check out David Graeber for an exploration of this - however, I\u2019d warn that Graeber provides us an anthropology of debt and credit systems... not money. He specifically doesn\u2019t cover the era that territorial monies such as standardized coinage emerged (he ends his analysis in the 1600s). Eric Helleiner is someone you should check out. In particular, his book on territorial currencies. The answer to your question is that coinage is not common. The Greek city states are earlier forms of this development, but it\u2019s not to state it as a necessary stage in the development of money and nor has it been historically required to facilitate trade. The coinage systems we see emerging entering the industrial revolution are very different, and standardized in order to push other systems of denomination out of circulation. Earlier forms of coinage didn\u2019t have this purpose, but were usually done in a non-standard way (e.g., hammer imprinting and very non-standard) to facilitate trade internationally and in the name of a new King, etc. In short - there\u2019s nothing special about coinage over and above, say, cowrie shells. I think the answer to your question has to do with the social development of the group in question, their goals (e.g., is there a sovereign trying to coordinate resources to some end?), and their relative place in the global economic structure at the time. For more in depth reading, I again recommend Eric Helleiner. For something having to do with coinage from antiquity rather than the era of nation states I recommend Michael Hudson, an economist, who has also done some very good work on this with other anthropologists. Alex Semenova and his work on monies in antiquity around the Mediterranean would be of interest to you. G. K. Ingham, A. Mitchell Innes and L. Randall Wray is another grouping that has a credit\/state theory of money that may interest you, but it doesn\u2019t answer why one would chose coinage over anything else. Hopefully that helps! Edit: To make my point more clear with a question. If others coinage is good and plenty to allow internal\/external circulation, you have access to it, and it meets your needs... why coin your own money? Just trade. You only coin if you have other social\/political goals beyond this with strangers.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":124.0,"score_ratio":2.5} {"post_id":"rq3pxq","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.92,"history":"An interesting find in the Mojave desert. Are these ancient? Are they from a mesoamerican culture? Here is the link to the finder's original post. u\/Level-Ad1388 \" **Found by my late father when he was a boy. Antelope Valley, Mojave Desert area. Hwy was being constructed. Picked up a handful of rocks to throw at his little sister while walking to school bus stop. One might be possibly a Foo Dog? Any thoughts, ideas or information is appreciated. \\2880x2880\\]** \" [https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ArtefactPorn\/comments\/rpvve4\/found\\_by\\_my\\_late\\_father\\_when\\_he\\_was\\_a\\_boy\/ I know some of AskAnthro's readers are knowledgeable in these areas They seem to be ceramic and part of larger items which are lost","c_root_id_A":"hq96emz","c_root_id_B":"hq8khfg","created_at_utc_A":1640678453,"created_at_utc_B":1640664854,"score_A":33,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"Just want to point out that in the comments there they're talking about it potentially being from Chinese railway workers which makes sense to me","human_ref_B":"If you call a museum nearby they may be able to help. Good chance there's an expert or two in whatever that is there, or at a university with an anthropology department.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":13599.0,"score_ratio":2.2} {"post_id":"9qoij3","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Outside the well known civilizations: Sumer, Egypt, Greece, Han ect. What do we know of the peoples or cultures around the same time? Did they have cities or were they more wild hunter gather nomads?","c_root_id_A":"e8b3uol","c_root_id_B":"e8b52pc","created_at_utc_A":1540315695,"created_at_utc_B":1540316666,"score_A":2,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"We know so much, and so little at the same time. Other great civilizations are the Maya, Incas, and Pacific northwest tribes (today Alaska, Canada, Washington, and Oregon)","human_ref_B":"For what it's worth, The History of the Ancient World is a great book that has helped me line up ancient civilizations against each other both geographically and chronologically. Really helps you get a picture of the movement and significant events of people across the world during early civilization. Though it doesn't give much info outside civilizations with written history, so not sure if it directly relates to your question.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":971.0,"score_ratio":5.5} {"post_id":"3lb28x","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"\"If there is no biological basis for race, how can forensic anthropologists distinguish the remains of a person of one race from those of another?\" xpost AskScience A friend of mine posted pictures of her professors holding up signs in support of the BlackLivesMatter movement, and one of the signs said \"Anthropologists know there is no biological basis for race, but that racism is real.\" Someone commented and asked, \"If there is no biological basis for race, how can forensic anthropologists distinguish the remains of a person of one race from those of another?\" It has had me curious ever since, so I'd like to get some opinions on it. Is there actually a biological basis for race? If so, what is that basis? If not, how can those remains be identified?","c_root_id_A":"cv53uj3","c_root_id_B":"cv53w9u","created_at_utc_A":1442522500,"created_at_utc_B":1442522575,"score_A":4,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"Honestly? It's pretty clunky and not all anthropologists are thrilled with how casually forensic anthropologists use racial terms. Here's a discussion. Many forensic anthropologists still use the terms Mongoloid, Negroid, and Caucasoid. That's a red flag that the subfield could use more scientific self-examination.","human_ref_B":"Racial categories, as we talk about them in the general public, are defined by the way people look. We see particular skin colors, facial features, and body shapes and use that information to place people in a racial category. It follows that you can then backwards map that information onto a skeleton you're analyzing. If we use nose shape as one was to define a black person (ex. A very light skinned person with African features is still categorized as black), we can use the presence of that nose shape in a skeleton to assume the skeleton was a black person, by our categories. These osteological phenotypes can be useful in, say, a missing persons case on an individual level, but really, when you get down to it scientifically, the phenotype only works as a diagnostic tool at a *population* level. Why? Because humans are so very similar that all morphologies present in all \"races,\" just at varying rates.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":75.0,"score_ratio":1.75} {"post_id":"t7a2qy","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Are there any examples of cultures that have a great sense of community, without religion? To expand on the question, I'm wondering if there is a culture or group of people that value community and are very caring for each other (versus a culture that is very individualistic) that at the same time is not influenced by religion. I'm wondering if this sense of community is always an effect of religion or spiritualism, or if it can occur naturally in a secular way.","c_root_id_A":"hzif1dh","c_root_id_B":"hzim5ab","created_at_utc_A":1646523237,"created_at_utc_B":1646526595,"score_A":12,"score_B":24,"human_ref_A":"The Pir\u00e1ha as documented by Daniel Everett in *Don't Sleep There Are Snakes* are apparently atheistic, without gods and laughing at his explanation of Christianity. Also, check in on modern atheist communities? Or the ex-Amish have a bond, I presume, sharing a large part of culture and then also being the minority who abandon it. There are enclaves of former-Amish around the USA.","human_ref_B":"Nordic countries are very secular and fall among the lowest in power distance https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11575-014-0223-6 Japan is very collectivistic even though Shinto doesn't have a lot of the traits of a religion you might be thinking of like communal worship or a god-given doctrine","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3358.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"35gv7z","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.85,"history":"In Southeast Asia, are there any religious practices or beliefs that mix Sunni Islam with Buddhism or indigenous religions?","c_root_id_A":"cr4cstw","c_root_id_B":"cr4cyjj","created_at_utc_A":1431247419,"created_at_utc_B":1431248216,"score_A":4,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"I know in Indonesia there's this thing called Kejawen. http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kebatinan","human_ref_B":"There are a number of practices in SE Asia that incorporate local beliefs (including practices such as animal sacrifice) with Buddhism, this was effectively due to the manner in which Buddhism originally spread across the mainland, doing so largely organically and assimilating local indigenous practices as it spread - will dig out the articles I originally found this in (I normally do archaeological Buddhism in South Asia) and edit ASAP Edit: PDF of article explaining\/examining spread of Buddhism in SE Asia and its incorporation of indigenous precept and practice Ethnographic description of such practice in South Asia","labels":0,"seconds_difference":797.0,"score_ratio":2.25} {"post_id":"p7hfeu","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.92,"history":"Why didn't the Western Hunter-Gatherers develop pale skin, while Middle-Eastern hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, did? It's General knowledge that the human body in history developed paler skin due to the adaptation of the human body to the environment. The first time this occurred was 22,000-28,000 years ago in the Middle East, yet the Western Hunter-Gatherers for whatever reason didn't adapt to the environment while living on a continent (Europe) further from the equator than the Middle East. Why didn't they adapt to their environment, wouldn't this have been an ideal and necessary part of a Western Hunter-Gatherer's body than having dark skin which was a liability? Not to forget that the Western Hunter-Gatherers lived in the same period as the Middle-Eastern Hunter-gatherers. ​ Sources: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/exd.14142","c_root_id_A":"h9kmoi0","c_root_id_B":"h9kyvcf","created_at_utc_A":1629402649,"created_at_utc_B":1629407560,"score_A":14,"score_B":37,"human_ref_A":"The connection between lower pigmentation at higher latitudes is supposedly related to the need for relying on the skin\u2019s own ability to produce vitamin D to supplement lack of it in the diet. A lighter skin makes it easier to produce vitamin D. A higher level of pigmentation at more northern latitudes is thought to have been much less of an issue for hunter-gatherers who got plenty of vitamin D from the fish and game they ate. The farmers that came later were affected more severely, since they were living off of domesticated animals that have far lower levels of vitamin D.","human_ref_B":"Here's the deal. Natural selection can only work with the genes that are already present. Let's say there's a shift to more salinity in a fresh water lake. There are species A-D of fish in that lake. All species are under the same selective pressure, Species A just don't have the genes to handle salt water and they go extinct (at least in that lake). Species B also just doesn't have any of the right genes but continue to exist in some shrunken sickly state. For Species C, 1 in 100 fish happened to have one copy of odd gene that helps with salinity. The fish that have the gene flourish while those who don't die. So species C survives just fine BUT the frequency of that special gene changes, now pretty much 99 out of 100 fish have at least one copy of it, and many have 2 copies. Species D has a similar gene but most fish of that species already had it, because it gave them some other benefit as well (it allowed them to live in the shallow waters which froze solid), so they are living their lives just fine. Now, due to both mild levels of solar radiation, and because our genes on rare occasions don't copy themselves perfectly new mutations happen. But these are totally random, there is no guiding hand of nature that 'helps'. So MAYBE species B eventually mutates and that mutation happens to be one that helps with salt water (which is as lucky as getting a winning lottery ticket - it's extremely rare) But remember, it's random. So, early humans were like that. They spread from heavy sunlight with lots of chances to get vitamin D (fresh water) to areas with less sunlight in the winter (salty water) EVERYBODY had a gene that made them slightly more dark with lots of sunlight and slightly less dark with less sunlight - but nobody had a gene than made skin significantly lighter. But they were able to survive anyways. Then by raw chance, two different mutations that gave lighter skin happened. These genes gave an advantage, and so they spread quickly and pretty much everyone on the Eurasian Land mass had the gene. Now in Africa and Australia it wasn't an advantage so it didn't really spread there. But note, these genes popped up after people had been living in the northern regions of the UK, Germany, and various parts of Siberia for tens of thousands of years. Then, by raw chance, a third mutation happened. Having all 3 was slightly better than having just 2, so this new gene didn't spread all that much. It stuck around Northern Europe. Places in southern Europe and Southern Asia, to them having all 3 was actually worse than having just 2, so it didn't spread. In theory, some of the people living in the arctic circle in Asia probably could have benefited, but either culturally they just so rarely met the peoples that had this new 3rd gene that it never became part of their genome, OR they had enough fish, liver, specialty plant, or other vitamin D sources that it didn't really matter if they had 2 lightening genes, or 3 lightening genes.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4911.0,"score_ratio":2.6428571429} {"post_id":"p7hfeu","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.92,"history":"Why didn't the Western Hunter-Gatherers develop pale skin, while Middle-Eastern hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, did? It's General knowledge that the human body in history developed paler skin due to the adaptation of the human body to the environment. The first time this occurred was 22,000-28,000 years ago in the Middle East, yet the Western Hunter-Gatherers for whatever reason didn't adapt to the environment while living on a continent (Europe) further from the equator than the Middle East. Why didn't they adapt to their environment, wouldn't this have been an ideal and necessary part of a Western Hunter-Gatherer's body than having dark skin which was a liability? Not to forget that the Western Hunter-Gatherers lived in the same period as the Middle-Eastern Hunter-gatherers. ​ Sources: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/exd.14142","c_root_id_A":"h9msh8n","c_root_id_B":"h9lhi38","created_at_utc_A":1629441316,"created_at_utc_B":1629415747,"score_A":6,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"An interesting point that came to mind, to piggyback off of what others have already said, is that generally people with high dietary intakes of vitamin D generally have darker skin than those who don't. An example of this is among Arctic dwelling peoples, whose skin is significantly darker than most modern Northern Europeans. Perhaps Western Hunter-Gatherers had a much higher dietary intake of vitamin D through higher access to rivers and coastal areas (and hence fish) than Hunter-Gatherers living in the comparatively more arid Middle-East. In this case, even if the genes for lighter skin were present in Western Hunter-Gatherers, vitamin D intake was high enough through diet that there wasn't a strong enough selection pressure to cause large amounts of the population to develop lighter skin over time, whereas in the Middle-East where protein intake was based more on terrestrial hunting and lower dietary vitamin D intake did.","human_ref_B":"Other comments have already explained this well enough, but one thing that's worth noting is that while mutations are random, it only requires a single mutation (SNP) in the right place to 'break' an existing gene and the trait it's responsible for coding for, a gene coding for melanin production for example. Whereas coding for an entirely new trait generally requires a lot of different mutations in the right places. So traits like light skin that only require disabling or breaking an existing gene are much more likely to occur on a relatively short time scale in evolutionary terms, like a few thousand years. This can happen in reverse too where a dormant trait that was disabled by a single mutation reawakens after a single mutation unbreaks the gene.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":25569.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"p7hfeu","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.92,"history":"Why didn't the Western Hunter-Gatherers develop pale skin, while Middle-Eastern hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, did? It's General knowledge that the human body in history developed paler skin due to the adaptation of the human body to the environment. The first time this occurred was 22,000-28,000 years ago in the Middle East, yet the Western Hunter-Gatherers for whatever reason didn't adapt to the environment while living on a continent (Europe) further from the equator than the Middle East. Why didn't they adapt to their environment, wouldn't this have been an ideal and necessary part of a Western Hunter-Gatherer's body than having dark skin which was a liability? Not to forget that the Western Hunter-Gatherers lived in the same period as the Middle-Eastern Hunter-gatherers. ​ Sources: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/exd.14142","c_root_id_A":"h9m3dzg","c_root_id_B":"h9msh8n","created_at_utc_A":1629426078,"created_at_utc_B":1629441316,"score_A":2,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"I think the paper itself already answer your question. There is a mutation that allow people with darker skin to supply their vitamin D needs without decrease in skin pigmentation.","human_ref_B":"An interesting point that came to mind, to piggyback off of what others have already said, is that generally people with high dietary intakes of vitamin D generally have darker skin than those who don't. An example of this is among Arctic dwelling peoples, whose skin is significantly darker than most modern Northern Europeans. Perhaps Western Hunter-Gatherers had a much higher dietary intake of vitamin D through higher access to rivers and coastal areas (and hence fish) than Hunter-Gatherers living in the comparatively more arid Middle-East. In this case, even if the genes for lighter skin were present in Western Hunter-Gatherers, vitamin D intake was high enough through diet that there wasn't a strong enough selection pressure to cause large amounts of the population to develop lighter skin over time, whereas in the Middle-East where protein intake was based more on terrestrial hunting and lower dietary vitamin D intake did.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":15238.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"1i0zqe","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.79,"history":"Why is hero worship so common? Is it almost universal to all cultures? And why do most people engage in it? By hero worship, I mean the adoration of sports stars or celebrities. Why does it seem so universal? Is it really as common as it looks like? And most importantly, why do we engage in such behavior?","c_root_id_A":"cb05dak","c_root_id_B":"cazwlom","created_at_utc_A":1373509101,"created_at_utc_B":1373485250,"score_A":9,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Orrin Klapp wrote \"Hero Worship in America\", which you might find very interesting for this topic. Technically Klapp is a sociologist, but the approach is still fairly anthropological and relevant for this subreddit. Klapp argues that this social process of creating hero worship or hero cults follows the following steps: \" (i) spontaneous or unorganized popular homage, (2) formal recognition and honor, (3) the building up of an idealized image or legend of the hero, (4) commemoration of the hero, and (5) established cult\" (1949:54). At this point, heroes begin to lose control over their own representation and the public may act as if they have ownership over them. Heroes are distant in that they have achieved a status that most never will and so are near the top of the social hierarchy. And yet they are made close through this process of worship - they are brought into the home, into people's lives, and made familiar. Public commemoration (like the Oscars or MVP) is a formalized way recognize the value of the hero as a symbol and places them within the pantheon of previously accepted heroes. Eventually, some of these may be elevated to the level of hero cults and ancestor worship. As Klapp points out, we find hero cults almost everywhere. Ancient Greece, Australian Aborigines, Communist China, Nigeria, etc. And in many societies, those heroes go on to become venerated ancestors that are honored not only by their living descendants but the whole community. Likewise, popular heroes in America may be commemorated after their death with plaques, days in their honor, visits to their tombstone, shrines, etc. Most seem to fade within a few years, and it is hard to say at this point if any folk heroes or pop heroes will have the kind of cult hero status after death like we saw in Ancient Greece. However, many hero and ancestor cults are very regional in other societies and so if Dublin continues to celebrate Bloomsday seventy years after his death we might consider Joyce to be a hero cult. The same could be said for some of our founding fathers. Another point that is often noted about American popular heroes is that they become idealized. Klapp notes that this is often referred to as \"legend-building\" and is the process of turning a real person into a symbol. The cult is not honoring the person so much as the image of what that person has come to stand for in society. Their narrative is taken over by the collective and is altered in order to represent an idealized trait in that society. Thus, they become a symbol of something that the group sees as desirable for the whole and are utilized as a way to reinforce social values and norms. They also in America offer a clear example of the rags to riches American Dream realized and a promise that others might follow in their footsteps. Heroes, then, provide a symbolic example of what people can and should strive to achieve in that society. This is why the established cult may often be reinforced by the state, unless, of course, the figure is antithetical to the current power and his or her worship may be banned and practiced underground as a revolutionary movement. *Klapp, Orrin E. \"Hero worship in America.\" American Sociological Review 14, no. 1 (1949): 53-62.* *Edit for grammar*","human_ref_B":"Can you expand a little on what you mean by adoration and hero worship? Are you trying to figure out why we put individuals on a pedestal and lionize them? Also, are you specifically looking at our relationship towards real people (i.e. not Hercules)? And do you want to include other categories that might be relevant in other cultures or the past such as skilled hunters, chiefs, religious leaders, healers, etc? Lastly, are you interested in evolutionary discussions such as how many primates have an alpha leader?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":23851.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"1i0zqe","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.79,"history":"Why is hero worship so common? Is it almost universal to all cultures? And why do most people engage in it? By hero worship, I mean the adoration of sports stars or celebrities. Why does it seem so universal? Is it really as common as it looks like? And most importantly, why do we engage in such behavior?","c_root_id_A":"cazzx2u","c_root_id_B":"cb05dak","created_at_utc_A":1373493444,"created_at_utc_B":1373509101,"score_A":3,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"Having a hero that's living flesh and blood is so much more tangible than, let's say a deity. I suspect most people don't have unshakable faith, so a tangible figure of adoration is not only entirely believable but can foster the idea that's it's certainly achievable. The viking had tales and sagas about their heroes. They also used heroes as a sort of model of behavior as well. Many celebrities now try to donate and do grand things in order to emulate model behavior. However, we're also well aware of their bad choices. In a way you could say that \"heroes\" (or simply celebrities) are morality idols to show us what can be achieved and sometimes how we should and shouldn't act.","human_ref_B":"Orrin Klapp wrote \"Hero Worship in America\", which you might find very interesting for this topic. Technically Klapp is a sociologist, but the approach is still fairly anthropological and relevant for this subreddit. Klapp argues that this social process of creating hero worship or hero cults follows the following steps: \" (i) spontaneous or unorganized popular homage, (2) formal recognition and honor, (3) the building up of an idealized image or legend of the hero, (4) commemoration of the hero, and (5) established cult\" (1949:54). At this point, heroes begin to lose control over their own representation and the public may act as if they have ownership over them. Heroes are distant in that they have achieved a status that most never will and so are near the top of the social hierarchy. And yet they are made close through this process of worship - they are brought into the home, into people's lives, and made familiar. Public commemoration (like the Oscars or MVP) is a formalized way recognize the value of the hero as a symbol and places them within the pantheon of previously accepted heroes. Eventually, some of these may be elevated to the level of hero cults and ancestor worship. As Klapp points out, we find hero cults almost everywhere. Ancient Greece, Australian Aborigines, Communist China, Nigeria, etc. And in many societies, those heroes go on to become venerated ancestors that are honored not only by their living descendants but the whole community. Likewise, popular heroes in America may be commemorated after their death with plaques, days in their honor, visits to their tombstone, shrines, etc. Most seem to fade within a few years, and it is hard to say at this point if any folk heroes or pop heroes will have the kind of cult hero status after death like we saw in Ancient Greece. However, many hero and ancestor cults are very regional in other societies and so if Dublin continues to celebrate Bloomsday seventy years after his death we might consider Joyce to be a hero cult. The same could be said for some of our founding fathers. Another point that is often noted about American popular heroes is that they become idealized. Klapp notes that this is often referred to as \"legend-building\" and is the process of turning a real person into a symbol. The cult is not honoring the person so much as the image of what that person has come to stand for in society. Their narrative is taken over by the collective and is altered in order to represent an idealized trait in that society. Thus, they become a symbol of something that the group sees as desirable for the whole and are utilized as a way to reinforce social values and norms. They also in America offer a clear example of the rags to riches American Dream realized and a promise that others might follow in their footsteps. Heroes, then, provide a symbolic example of what people can and should strive to achieve in that society. This is why the established cult may often be reinforced by the state, unless, of course, the figure is antithetical to the current power and his or her worship may be banned and practiced underground as a revolutionary movement. *Klapp, Orrin E. \"Hero worship in America.\" American Sociological Review 14, no. 1 (1949): 53-62.* *Edit for grammar*","labels":0,"seconds_difference":15657.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"1i0zqe","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.79,"history":"Why is hero worship so common? Is it almost universal to all cultures? And why do most people engage in it? By hero worship, I mean the adoration of sports stars or celebrities. Why does it seem so universal? Is it really as common as it looks like? And most importantly, why do we engage in such behavior?","c_root_id_A":"cb05dak","c_root_id_B":"cb02jb3","created_at_utc_A":1373509101,"created_at_utc_B":1373500789,"score_A":9,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Orrin Klapp wrote \"Hero Worship in America\", which you might find very interesting for this topic. Technically Klapp is a sociologist, but the approach is still fairly anthropological and relevant for this subreddit. Klapp argues that this social process of creating hero worship or hero cults follows the following steps: \" (i) spontaneous or unorganized popular homage, (2) formal recognition and honor, (3) the building up of an idealized image or legend of the hero, (4) commemoration of the hero, and (5) established cult\" (1949:54). At this point, heroes begin to lose control over their own representation and the public may act as if they have ownership over them. Heroes are distant in that they have achieved a status that most never will and so are near the top of the social hierarchy. And yet they are made close through this process of worship - they are brought into the home, into people's lives, and made familiar. Public commemoration (like the Oscars or MVP) is a formalized way recognize the value of the hero as a symbol and places them within the pantheon of previously accepted heroes. Eventually, some of these may be elevated to the level of hero cults and ancestor worship. As Klapp points out, we find hero cults almost everywhere. Ancient Greece, Australian Aborigines, Communist China, Nigeria, etc. And in many societies, those heroes go on to become venerated ancestors that are honored not only by their living descendants but the whole community. Likewise, popular heroes in America may be commemorated after their death with plaques, days in their honor, visits to their tombstone, shrines, etc. Most seem to fade within a few years, and it is hard to say at this point if any folk heroes or pop heroes will have the kind of cult hero status after death like we saw in Ancient Greece. However, many hero and ancestor cults are very regional in other societies and so if Dublin continues to celebrate Bloomsday seventy years after his death we might consider Joyce to be a hero cult. The same could be said for some of our founding fathers. Another point that is often noted about American popular heroes is that they become idealized. Klapp notes that this is often referred to as \"legend-building\" and is the process of turning a real person into a symbol. The cult is not honoring the person so much as the image of what that person has come to stand for in society. Their narrative is taken over by the collective and is altered in order to represent an idealized trait in that society. Thus, they become a symbol of something that the group sees as desirable for the whole and are utilized as a way to reinforce social values and norms. They also in America offer a clear example of the rags to riches American Dream realized and a promise that others might follow in their footsteps. Heroes, then, provide a symbolic example of what people can and should strive to achieve in that society. This is why the established cult may often be reinforced by the state, unless, of course, the figure is antithetical to the current power and his or her worship may be banned and practiced underground as a revolutionary movement. *Klapp, Orrin E. \"Hero worship in America.\" American Sociological Review 14, no. 1 (1949): 53-62.* *Edit for grammar*","human_ref_B":"I'm new to this subreddit so I'm unsure how well speculation is received here, however I would think a small portion of the admiration given to (today's) sports stars and celebrities is due in part to them achieving a life a majority of people wish they could live. I would also think it's because of the affection and attention they receive from so many people that it makes on lookers crave the same reception.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":8312.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"o9l1l2","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.89,"history":"What is the anthropological consensus on markets? As in, the entire argument around markets, free markets, commodity trade, and all that. Do people trade? Is it even possible for a group of humans to never have trade? Do currencies arise naturally, like prisons having cigarettes and the Rai stones from Yap, or are there exceptions to this? Are there societies who primary use gift-giving rather than currency, and are there reasons the rest of humanity does not use this? Is there a specific reason why markets appear? Can there be a condition where they don't?","c_root_id_A":"h3d06wd","c_root_id_B":"h3cq87u","created_at_utc_A":1624911716,"created_at_utc_B":1624907424,"score_A":27,"score_B":25,"human_ref_A":"I did my undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Economics, and so while I'm not an authoritative source, I do have an opinion on this. I think it's pretty clear that even gift-giving society are operating under a kind of market condition where what's often being traded is social stature\/currency. It seems like this naturally breaks down in larger groups, and so you get the rise of barter and hard currency when you can't \"store\" wealth in social relationships. I found this ethnography very helpful for understanding how gift networks really are trade networks: https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Marxist-Modern-Donald-L-Donham\/dp\/0520213297 I believe he even has a large resource where he maps out the exchange of goods within a small group over time to show the flow of resources within the community.","human_ref_B":"Best place to start with that one would be David Graeber's *Debt: The First 5000 Years*, which is an excellent book on the subject. But basically, yeah, currency is absolutely not common to all cultures--Adam Smith had no idea what he was talking about when he said currency was created to replace barter. The first form of debt we have evidence for humans using still exists today, even in our society: doing people favors and then them owing us one or vice versa, which can, as you suggested, take the form of gift-giving.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4292.0,"score_ratio":1.08} {"post_id":"o9l1l2","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.89,"history":"What is the anthropological consensus on markets? As in, the entire argument around markets, free markets, commodity trade, and all that. Do people trade? Is it even possible for a group of humans to never have trade? Do currencies arise naturally, like prisons having cigarettes and the Rai stones from Yap, or are there exceptions to this? Are there societies who primary use gift-giving rather than currency, and are there reasons the rest of humanity does not use this? Is there a specific reason why markets appear? Can there be a condition where they don't?","c_root_id_A":"h3mv7er","c_root_id_B":"h3fwwry","created_at_utc_A":1625105392,"created_at_utc_B":1624976387,"score_A":6,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"Someone else mentioned *Debt: The First 5,000 Years*. I'd also suggest *Toward an Anthropological Theory of Value*, also by David Graeber, because it talks about how questions about markets have shaped almost all other areas of social theory. A lot of key debates in social theory have been focused on the broad question of the relationship between society and individual. Does social structure determine the full range of possible human behaviour, or is it in fact individual agency that makes social structure possible in the first place? Most mainstream sociological\/anthropological responses to this question can be traced back to very specific debates about the nature of markets. At its height from the 1950s to the 70s, this debate was known as the Substantivist vs. Formalist debate. So, for example, most individual-centric social theories even today tend to come from the Formalist position that humans are, at heart, creatures that maximize self-interest, like the *Homo Economicus* of economics. On the other hand, most theories about social structure can find their origins in the works of people like Karl Polanyi or Bronislaw Malinowski, who argued for the \"embeddedness\" of markets: there was no independent entity called the market. Market relations were simply a means for social structure to preserve itself, through relations of solidarity and obligation. Graeber's point is twofold: firstly, to show how questions about the nature of markets almost inevitably end up becoming questions about social life in its totality. Secondly, he wants to show how even the most \"cutting edge\" social theories, in many ways, haven't really come all that far from ideas that were being discussed by scholars decades ago.","human_ref_B":"I think the consensus in anthropology is that the answer depends entirely on how you define \"markets.\" Is it a physical place of exchange? Is it the act of trading? Does it have to involve currency? If so, what counts as currency and do you need a universal currency to call something a market? Is it a formalized structure with a universal set of rules? Does it have to be organized at the social level and involve trading between societies? The problem comes down to our tendency to overgeneralize, and to define the cultural practices of others using the terms we have created to define our own practices.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":129005.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"2eyn5i","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.92,"history":"Why are there not more frozen remains from indigenous peoples of the north? I was reading this: http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Qilakitsoq And it made think, shouldn't there be more remains from Doreset, Thule, and other long gone indigenous groups frozen in the Tundra? Shouldn't we know a lot more about these peoples?","c_root_id_A":"ck4krio","c_root_id_B":"ck4hync","created_at_utc_A":1409402757,"created_at_utc_B":1409386745,"score_A":7,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"The Thule and Dorset have been in the news recently because of the study regarding \"Paleo-Eskimos\" so it is a timely question. Clearly certain environments like deserts and dry cold regions are better for preserving bodies. However, while we do have some frozen bodies of the Thule to examine there are significantly less than bodies from desert regions. So why? Well there was a 2000 study about a frozen Thule \"mummy\" that addresses this question. > Although the frigid climate results in mummies frozen with remarkable preservation of outer appearance and microscopic detail, bodies are preserved only under extraordinary circumstances. The frozen ground makes winter burials impossible and the permafrost layer,only a few centimeters below the surface,discourages deep burials even in summer. Cycles of freezing and thawing tend to bring summer burials to the surface,exposing bodies to the ravages of animals and weather. Burial traditions also play a role in what gets preserved. Many societies adapted to the realities of how difficult it was to bury bodies in frozen ground and simply used surface and platform burials which exposed the bodies much more than burying them does. > Platformand surface burials were common in Utqiagvik and other coastal whaling villages until the missionization that accompanied the historic period in the late 1890s. Grave often ac- starting goods companied these burials, typically consisting of personal tools for both men and women. At Pingusugrukon Point Franklin for instance,a woman from a prehistoric whaling village was placed on top of an abandoned kitchen with a skin tool kit that included stone blades and a lump of the red ochre used for trim coloring on parkas and other garments(Sheehanfieldnotes).Also at Pingusugruk, a woman from an earlier Thule settlement was covered by a musk ox skin in the tunnel entrance to an abandoned house (Jensenfieldnotes). If you're curious, the article was about an autopsy of an 800 year old female child who seemed to have a lung disorder. Lung damage is a common find from communities that sleep and spend their days around fires so her black lungs weren't surprising. But they were damaged much more than they would expect and they suspect a particular lung disorder called AlAT deficiency. Her bones were very osteoporotic, which is common with other ancient Eskimo bodies due to metabolic acidosis from their meat heavy diet. She seemed to have died from starvation and in desperation had eaten dirt, pebbles, and chewed on animal hides (contemporary communities confirmed that when hungry parents often gave their kids animal hides to chew.) But she was a chronically ill child and this also contributed to her death. She only made it as long as she did because her community cared for her and they suggest this was actually why her body was preserved - it was purposefully buried unlike most bodies. Families typically stored extra meat by digging a bowl like cache under the house for storage. It was here that she was buried wrapped in a bird skin parka. She was also buried with a toboggan and length of rope, which they suggest might have been how her family transported her. This care resulted in her body being \"the best preserved prehistoric body ever recovered in Alaska.\" (Just of note - the archaeologists who found her consulted the local Inuit elders who requested that they do an autopsy and treat the body like they would a modern day death. That meant finding out what happened but also handling her with respect and reburying her when finished.)","human_ref_B":"I'm not qualified to fully answer your question, but I think an important piece of the puzzle is that many of those areas became habitable only \"recently\", and areas where frozen bodies might have been found in the past are no longer covered in permafrost. Greenland wasn't inhabited until 4500 years ago, Norway was covered in a glacier that didn't retreat until 10-12kya, and people didn't inhabit the northernmost regions until thousands of years after that. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will correct me if this supposition is totally out to lunch.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":16012.0,"score_ratio":1.1666666667} {"post_id":"zsomja","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.79,"history":"What are the origins of Russian homophobia? The government makes laws that prohibit LGBTQ+ activities while the Russian public is largely still against the practice. What social\/cultural\/political developments led to homophobia in Russia?","c_root_id_A":"j1b2bzm","c_root_id_B":"j19g782","created_at_utc_A":1671753451,"created_at_utc_B":1671729928,"score_A":23,"score_B":14,"human_ref_A":">What social\/cultural\/political developments led to homophobia in Russia? ​ Nothing \"led to\" it. Russian cultural attitudes towards sexuality are more or less what they've always been. The Western world has changed a lot in its attitude towards homosexuality, sexuality and gender- Russia not so much. So the \"origins of\" - really lie as much in the West as in Russia. North Americans had similar attitudes towards, say, same sex marriage as Russia does - in 1990. Our ideas changed, theirs not so much. Russia has always had a very ambivalent relationship with ideas from the West -sometimes embracing them, only to become less enthusiastic and then to repudiate them. There was some impulse towards \"erotic glasnost\" in the 1990s, but didn't get that far. Russia retains some aspects of Soviet era health and morality policies - abortion and divorce were part of the secularization that followed the Bolshevik revolution, and have substantially \"stuck\" in the culture. Homosexuality, though, while decriminalized after 1920, was substantially suppressed by Stalin. You might compare with Poland - politically aligned against Putin's Russia, but culturally the Law & Society Party have very similar views about gender and sexuality. Indeed, Russia is notable in still basically allowing abortion up to 12 weeks, while its been essentially abolished in Poland. See * Costlow, Jane T., Stephanie Sandler, and Judith Vowles, eds. Sexuality and the body in Russian culture. Stanford University Press, 1993. * Barta, Peter I. Gender and sexuality in Russian civilisation. Routledge, 2013. * Kustanovich, Konstantin. \"Erotic glasnost: Sexuality in recent Russian literature.\" World Literature Today 67.1 (1993): 136-144. * Rivkin-Fish, Michele. \"Sexuality education in Russia: defining pleasure and danger for a fledgling democratic society.\" Social Science & Medicine 49.6 (1999): 801-814. * Healey, Daniel. \"The Russian revolution and the decriminalisation of homosexuality.\" Revolutionary Russia 6.1 (1993): 26-54. * Healey, Dan. \"Homosexual existence and existing socialism: New light on the repression of male homosexuality in Stalin's Russia.\" GLQ: A journal of lesbian and gay studies 8.3 (2002): 349-378. * \u017buk, Piotr, and Pawe\u0142 \u017buk. \"\u2018Murderers of the unborn\u2019and \u2018sexual degenerates\u2019: analysis of the \u2018anti-gender\u2019 discourse of the Catholic Church and the nationalist right in Poland.\" Critical Discourse Studies 17.5 (2020): 566-588. * Chowaniec, Ula, Ewa Mazierska, and Richard Mole. \"Queer (in) g Poland in the 21st century: How was it at the beginning of the millennium? Introduction to this Special Issue on Queer Culture and the LGBTQ+ Movement in Poland.\" Central Europe 19.1 (2021): 1-13.","human_ref_B":"It likely has the same origins as homophobia in the rest of Europe. Russia is a primarily Christian nation and most the growth of its cultural and national identity was tied to this. Naturally, when the subject of queerness came up, they\u2019d defer to what the Bible said, as every other primarily Christian nation did in the past. As for why they seem to be more reactionary on the issue than Western Europe, I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s been any solid research on it. The easy assumption that most people would go for is to erroneously blame it on the fact that many countries in Eastern Europe were communist, but I don\u2019t think that assumption is correct, as, for example, east Germany eclipsed much of the west during the Cold War with how progressive they were with regards to queerness. I feel like the main reason as to why people in Eastern European countries (not just Russia) adopt reactionary political stances is probably due to the widespread economic destruction that came about during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw pact. This event put immense amounts of stress and economic burden on many people in these countries, and many likely adopted reactionary views as a way to cope with it. They were told that the west was coming to save them from the evils of communism, but what they got was far worse than what they had under these old systems. Because of this, these people likely have biases against a wide variety of concepts due to the fact that they may appear \u201cwestern,\u201d with queerness being just one of these concepts.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":23523.0,"score_ratio":1.6428571429} {"post_id":"zsomja","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.79,"history":"What are the origins of Russian homophobia? The government makes laws that prohibit LGBTQ+ activities while the Russian public is largely still against the practice. What social\/cultural\/political developments led to homophobia in Russia?","c_root_id_A":"j1b2bzm","c_root_id_B":"j1a6tma","created_at_utc_A":1671753451,"created_at_utc_B":1671740314,"score_A":23,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":">What social\/cultural\/political developments led to homophobia in Russia? ​ Nothing \"led to\" it. Russian cultural attitudes towards sexuality are more or less what they've always been. The Western world has changed a lot in its attitude towards homosexuality, sexuality and gender- Russia not so much. So the \"origins of\" - really lie as much in the West as in Russia. North Americans had similar attitudes towards, say, same sex marriage as Russia does - in 1990. Our ideas changed, theirs not so much. Russia has always had a very ambivalent relationship with ideas from the West -sometimes embracing them, only to become less enthusiastic and then to repudiate them. There was some impulse towards \"erotic glasnost\" in the 1990s, but didn't get that far. Russia retains some aspects of Soviet era health and morality policies - abortion and divorce were part of the secularization that followed the Bolshevik revolution, and have substantially \"stuck\" in the culture. Homosexuality, though, while decriminalized after 1920, was substantially suppressed by Stalin. You might compare with Poland - politically aligned against Putin's Russia, but culturally the Law & Society Party have very similar views about gender and sexuality. Indeed, Russia is notable in still basically allowing abortion up to 12 weeks, while its been essentially abolished in Poland. See * Costlow, Jane T., Stephanie Sandler, and Judith Vowles, eds. Sexuality and the body in Russian culture. Stanford University Press, 1993. * Barta, Peter I. Gender and sexuality in Russian civilisation. Routledge, 2013. * Kustanovich, Konstantin. \"Erotic glasnost: Sexuality in recent Russian literature.\" World Literature Today 67.1 (1993): 136-144. * Rivkin-Fish, Michele. \"Sexuality education in Russia: defining pleasure and danger for a fledgling democratic society.\" Social Science & Medicine 49.6 (1999): 801-814. * Healey, Daniel. \"The Russian revolution and the decriminalisation of homosexuality.\" Revolutionary Russia 6.1 (1993): 26-54. * Healey, Dan. \"Homosexual existence and existing socialism: New light on the repression of male homosexuality in Stalin's Russia.\" GLQ: A journal of lesbian and gay studies 8.3 (2002): 349-378. * \u017buk, Piotr, and Pawe\u0142 \u017buk. \"\u2018Murderers of the unborn\u2019and \u2018sexual degenerates\u2019: analysis of the \u2018anti-gender\u2019 discourse of the Catholic Church and the nationalist right in Poland.\" Critical Discourse Studies 17.5 (2020): 566-588. * Chowaniec, Ula, Ewa Mazierska, and Richard Mole. \"Queer (in) g Poland in the 21st century: How was it at the beginning of the millennium? Introduction to this Special Issue on Queer Culture and the LGBTQ+ Movement in Poland.\" Central Europe 19.1 (2021): 1-13.","human_ref_B":"Authoritarianism and finding minorities as targets of hate go hand in hand. When people are given some easily identifiable *other* they can feel superior to, they become more tolerant of their own condition and more accepting of an arbitrary hierarchy.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":13137.0,"score_ratio":2.0909090909} {"post_id":"zsomja","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.79,"history":"What are the origins of Russian homophobia? The government makes laws that prohibit LGBTQ+ activities while the Russian public is largely still against the practice. What social\/cultural\/political developments led to homophobia in Russia?","c_root_id_A":"j1b2bzm","c_root_id_B":"j1a7gqk","created_at_utc_A":1671753451,"created_at_utc_B":1671740563,"score_A":23,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":">What social\/cultural\/political developments led to homophobia in Russia? ​ Nothing \"led to\" it. Russian cultural attitudes towards sexuality are more or less what they've always been. The Western world has changed a lot in its attitude towards homosexuality, sexuality and gender- Russia not so much. So the \"origins of\" - really lie as much in the West as in Russia. North Americans had similar attitudes towards, say, same sex marriage as Russia does - in 1990. Our ideas changed, theirs not so much. Russia has always had a very ambivalent relationship with ideas from the West -sometimes embracing them, only to become less enthusiastic and then to repudiate them. There was some impulse towards \"erotic glasnost\" in the 1990s, but didn't get that far. Russia retains some aspects of Soviet era health and morality policies - abortion and divorce were part of the secularization that followed the Bolshevik revolution, and have substantially \"stuck\" in the culture. Homosexuality, though, while decriminalized after 1920, was substantially suppressed by Stalin. You might compare with Poland - politically aligned against Putin's Russia, but culturally the Law & Society Party have very similar views about gender and sexuality. Indeed, Russia is notable in still basically allowing abortion up to 12 weeks, while its been essentially abolished in Poland. See * Costlow, Jane T., Stephanie Sandler, and Judith Vowles, eds. Sexuality and the body in Russian culture. Stanford University Press, 1993. * Barta, Peter I. Gender and sexuality in Russian civilisation. Routledge, 2013. * Kustanovich, Konstantin. \"Erotic glasnost: Sexuality in recent Russian literature.\" World Literature Today 67.1 (1993): 136-144. * Rivkin-Fish, Michele. \"Sexuality education in Russia: defining pleasure and danger for a fledgling democratic society.\" Social Science & Medicine 49.6 (1999): 801-814. * Healey, Daniel. \"The Russian revolution and the decriminalisation of homosexuality.\" Revolutionary Russia 6.1 (1993): 26-54. * Healey, Dan. \"Homosexual existence and existing socialism: New light on the repression of male homosexuality in Stalin's Russia.\" GLQ: A journal of lesbian and gay studies 8.3 (2002): 349-378. * \u017buk, Piotr, and Pawe\u0142 \u017buk. \"\u2018Murderers of the unborn\u2019and \u2018sexual degenerates\u2019: analysis of the \u2018anti-gender\u2019 discourse of the Catholic Church and the nationalist right in Poland.\" Critical Discourse Studies 17.5 (2020): 566-588. * Chowaniec, Ula, Ewa Mazierska, and Richard Mole. \"Queer (in) g Poland in the 21st century: How was it at the beginning of the millennium? Introduction to this Special Issue on Queer Culture and the LGBTQ+ Movement in Poland.\" Central Europe 19.1 (2021): 1-13.","human_ref_B":"I think the answer lies in how cultures define themselves. Russia and Ukraine form an interesting test case, because they both started from a very similar place (fellow republics of the USSR, similar history of repression, Christianity (though one-half of Ukraine is Catholic, both Catholic and Orthodox are similarly not pro-queer rights). So why is Russia seemingly doubling down on homophobia, passing ever more punitive laws, while Ukraine is very obviously going in the exact opposite direction - passing ever more progressive laws? I know some may say, Ukraine wishes to curry favour in the West - but I do not think that is the whole story. Rather, each culture is in the process of defining itself *against* something. Russia is defining itself against its understanding of Europe and the West. Russia sees itself as pure and uncorrupted, compared with a vile and effete Europe (which, paradoxically, is also horribly dangerous and attractive). Europe is progressive on queer issues. Therefore, Russian official propaganda doubles down on how vile and perverse they claim homosexuality is. European acceptance of homosexuality is just more evidence of how vile and perverse Europe is (and why Russia is a bastion of purity, last hope for human culture, etc.). As can be seen, a similar but mirror image process is going on in Ukraine. The conflict with Russia sees Ukraine, naturally enough, veer ever more in sentiment towards Europe. That was what the Euromaidan was about. They wish to reject the idea they ought to be dominated by Russia or imitate its culture. So if Russia stands for \u201cpurity\u201d based on official homophobia, Ukraine will stand for being progressive on such issues. Ukraine wishes as an end-point to the conflict to be seen as a \u201cnormal European nation\u201d, and part of that is adopting certain progressive values. This is apparent in the reporting on the latest law passed in Ukraine, outlawing hate speech aimed at gays etc. https:\/\/76crimes.com\/2022\/12\/21\/ukraine-passes-bill-prohibiting-anti-gay-hate-speech-in-media\/ That this infuriates the Russians is a bonus. This isn\u2019t just a matter of official stance - polls indicate a startling shift in public opinion in Ukraine on the subject since the start of Russia\u2019s aggression. https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/LGBT_rights_in_Ukraine","labels":1,"seconds_difference":12888.0,"score_ratio":3.2857142857} {"post_id":"4cwjz3","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.67,"history":"How much do regionalism and geography explain gender norms and the treatment of women? For instance, why is treatment of women historically much poorer in the Middle East and the Islamic world relative to other present or past religiously conservative areas like Europe, Africa and China? Today, the Middle East has some of the least gender equality of any region on Earth. Much of this appears to be tied to religious and ethnic traditions, that have been rolled back to a greater extent in North Asia and East Asia by communism, or by liberal reforms originating in Europe and spreading to colonies and outlying settler countries. But nonetheless, it's hard to ignore the substantial differences in the treatment of women historically in the Middle East versus Europe or even the matrilineal cultures of Africa. Are there regional or geographic explanations posited for why the Middle East has experienced much greater lag in the treatment of women and why women's role in society is so heavily restricted?","c_root_id_A":"d1pn1tv","c_root_id_B":"d1mmr2h","created_at_utc_A":1459794728,"created_at_utc_B":1459567636,"score_A":6,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Your question is loaded. Treatment of women in the Middle East hasn't been historically much poorer than Europe, Africa, or China. Books to read: *Beyond the Veil* by Fatema Mernissi *Women and Gender in Islam* by Leila Ahmed Lila Abu-Lughod","human_ref_B":"http:\/\/org.uib.no\/smi\/seminars\/Pensum\/Abu-Lughod.pdf","labels":1,"seconds_difference":227092.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"4cwjz3","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.67,"history":"How much do regionalism and geography explain gender norms and the treatment of women? For instance, why is treatment of women historically much poorer in the Middle East and the Islamic world relative to other present or past religiously conservative areas like Europe, Africa and China? Today, the Middle East has some of the least gender equality of any region on Earth. Much of this appears to be tied to religious and ethnic traditions, that have been rolled back to a greater extent in North Asia and East Asia by communism, or by liberal reforms originating in Europe and spreading to colonies and outlying settler countries. But nonetheless, it's hard to ignore the substantial differences in the treatment of women historically in the Middle East versus Europe or even the matrilineal cultures of Africa. Are there regional or geographic explanations posited for why the Middle East has experienced much greater lag in the treatment of women and why women's role in society is so heavily restricted?","c_root_id_A":"d1pn1tv","c_root_id_B":"d1ovlt9","created_at_utc_A":1459794728,"created_at_utc_B":1459738136,"score_A":6,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"Your question is loaded. Treatment of women in the Middle East hasn't been historically much poorer than Europe, Africa, or China. Books to read: *Beyond the Veil* by Fatema Mernissi *Women and Gender in Islam* by Leila Ahmed Lila Abu-Lughod","human_ref_B":"You should follow the advice below. Also, I think you should also look at the history of the region, as I think you will find that in some places, their treatment of women was not always as bad as it is now.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":56592.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"bpe537","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.98,"history":"Is there any website that shows the complete list of human fossils found? https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List\\_of\\_human\\_evolution\\_fossils ​ The wikipedia list is quite lacking. Are there any websites I can go to see this? Doing a personal project on changes in craniofacial form throughout evolution. Thanks.","c_root_id_A":"ensb7gp","c_root_id_B":"ensl8vg","created_at_utc_A":1558026589,"created_at_utc_B":1558030280,"score_A":8,"score_B":20,"human_ref_A":"The Smithsonian's human origins site might help.","human_ref_B":"If you end up having to put the list together yourself, please publish it. I imagine someone has done this before and just not published it, such is the way of the academic.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3691.0,"score_ratio":2.5} {"post_id":"3rax83","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.85,"history":"How did so many disparate societies develop the bow and arrow independently of each other? It seems like no matter what part of the world you look at societies vastly different and isolated from each other seem to all develop the bow and arrow at some point. Do we know how this happened? Did the knowledge of the bow and arrow spread around the world from a single ancient civilization or is it just coincidence that it happened?","c_root_id_A":"cwmikuz","c_root_id_B":"cwmmahk","created_at_utc_A":1446524277,"created_at_utc_B":1446531546,"score_A":8,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"Technology is known to have independent and parallel evolution of technologies just like various anatomical features like the mouth have evolved separately on a few occasions. The Americas also had masonry and writing systems that evolved independently of their old world counterparts.","human_ref_B":"Here's a post I made at \/r\/History about it; it also includes a link to a relevant \/r\/AskHistorians post, so be sure to check that one out too. As I say in the \/r\/history post, the short answer is mostly diffusion - knowledge being spread around - rather than independent invention.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7269.0,"score_ratio":1.125} {"post_id":"zqwqtz","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Why did we start measuring time? And going a bit further, why \/ when did we (society) start applying certain developmental moments to measure success, worth, etc? (As in you\u2019re \u201csupposed\u201d to go to college in your 20s, meet someone and settle down and have a house and kids before your 30s, retire by your 60s, etc etc etc.)","c_root_id_A":"j12fpto","c_root_id_B":"j12f3hu","created_at_utc_A":1671596239,"created_at_utc_B":1671595907,"score_A":13,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"First measurements of time were to make sure you knew when to plant crops. Babylonians had a base sixty system, and the fact that they initially measured the year to be 360 days is still with us culturally: There are 360 degrees in a circle.","human_ref_B":"It's worth noting that a wide variety of animals and plants measure time. This is necessary for their reproduction, and daily activities, among other things. - https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2017-03-scientists-animals-year.html - https:\/\/www.cell.com\/current-biology\/pdf\/S0960-9822(06)02136-1.pdf - https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/researchers-show-how-plants-tell-the-time Perceptions of time are though to vary based on size and metabolism: - https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/small-animals-live-in-a-slow-motion-world\/ Dividing time up into distinct units (eg. hours, minutes, etc) rather than 'days', or 'halfway to night', or \"when the shadow hits the second rock' is a more human thing, but it's unclear when that would have developed as something like a sundial is not difficult to make, as well as occurring occurring naturally, so it's quite possible that some populations of people had distinct ways of measuring specific units of time deep in the past. We simply don't know though.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":332.0,"score_ratio":1.1818181818} {"post_id":"ifebuk","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.86,"history":"Would it be accurate to say that human culture predates the human species? According to Wikipedia, culture includes things like knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits. Evidence indicates that our ancestors were developing a sort of proto-language before *Homo Sapiens* ever existed there could be a wide variety of socially transmitted behaviours, maybe even beliefs and arts, that were passed down from *Homo Erectus* or later hominids to *Homo Sapiens*. Are there any aspects of human culture that we can specifically identify as preceding the existence of *Homo Sapiens*? Are there any academics who have studied the cultural aspect of the transition from *Homo Erectus* to *Homo Sapiens*?","c_root_id_A":"g2nf35s","c_root_id_B":"g2np48k","created_at_utc_A":1598234890,"created_at_utc_B":1598241028,"score_A":2,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"If you define culture as knowledge and customs passed down from generation to generation, then certainly culture predates Homo sapiens and even hominids in general. Several animal species, ranging from primates to birds to rats, have been demonstrated to have learned behavior (i.e. knowledge or skills that were taught to them by others of the same species). Some of these cultural practices among non-human animals include tool use, communication strategies, and nest-building.","human_ref_B":"> Are there any academics who have studied the cultural aspect of the transition from *Homo Erectus* to *Homo Sapiens*? Keep in mind the time scales we are talking about give us *a small portion of* ***material*** *culture* to work with. The relative \"lack\" of \"sophistication\" and \"complexity\" of that material culture is compounded by the ravages of time. Let's say in 50K years in the future archaeologists find two \"primitive\" metal drinking vessels. One with red and silver, one with blue (and lets assume the coloring survives). They may be able to understand one is Pepsi, and the other is Coca-Cola, but the complex commercial, capitalist, and cultural symbolism and hang-ups about both brands would not be there. That's all intangible, abstract highly symbolic culture. In contrast, *Homo sapiens* appear more like four times (\\~200kya) that long ago and we have far less evidence to work with. We simply do not have the ability to know what has not survived in the archaeological records. It's like having remnants of some hardware, but not the software that ran on it, if you will.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":6138.0,"score_ratio":4.5} {"post_id":"a169cc","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"How do anthropologists go from raw observation and field notes to a coherent book or article? Given that anthropology is based on extensive qualitative observation, often without a clear focus initially, how do anthropologists deal with what must be an overwhelming pile of notes? In quant research, you can start by graphing things and finding summary statistics. But presumably in anthropology you just have pile of text, images, and recordings.","c_root_id_A":"ean0u7h","c_root_id_B":"ean0d5m","created_at_utc_A":1543413827,"created_at_utc_B":1543413467,"score_A":24,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"I tend to make \"themes\". So say I have two months of fieldwork notes (although I would highly advise that you compile and integrate notes during fieldwork), I would sit down, or pace, with them. Putting them in little piles where the topic is somewhat related. Repeat process when new text is produced from the notes. It's of course dependent on what theoretical frame you are using, epistemological justifications etc. But say in a grounded theory approach if you just try to make sense of all the data, I find this to be a pragmatic way of doing it. Sort of like the corkboard in old detective movies. Doing this while doing fieldwork will often result in better fieldwork as certain themes emerge that might be fruitful to pursue, and thus knowing what to ask\/observe and so forth.","human_ref_B":"Anthropological theory helps anthropologists make sense of what they have gathered. If you look through any academic anthropological work you can see all the references they use to other anthropologists and sometimes sociologists.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":360.0,"score_ratio":3.4285714286} {"post_id":"a169cc","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"How do anthropologists go from raw observation and field notes to a coherent book or article? Given that anthropology is based on extensive qualitative observation, often without a clear focus initially, how do anthropologists deal with what must be an overwhelming pile of notes? In quant research, you can start by graphing things and finding summary statistics. But presumably in anthropology you just have pile of text, images, and recordings.","c_root_id_A":"eanmw7s","c_root_id_B":"eanj1f8","created_at_utc_A":1543428601,"created_at_utc_B":1543426097,"score_A":5,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"It's called coding! A lot of people now days use programs like NVivo to organize their notes instead of tediously organizing everything into literal physical piles. Essentially one just reads and reads all of their field notes, interview transcripts, etc and organizes everything into \"codes\" or reoccuring themes. This process makes drawing conclusions from ones material MUCH easier.","human_ref_B":"Even though I myself struggled with how to make sense of ethnographic fieldnotes during the writing of my master's thesis I can recommend the book 'Improvising Theory: Process and Temporality in Ethnographic Fieldwork' by Allaine Cerwonka and Liisa Malkki for a very accessible account of how theory and method develops progressively out of a fieldwork situation. It's basically made up of an email exchange between a professor and a phd student in anthro who's attempting to formulate a theoretical and methodological approach to her research question. It gives interesting insights into the oftentimes mystified fieldwork process. I personally also tended to go with with the grounded approach where related themes and topics are organized and later expanded on through relevant theory and concepts, at least intially. From my own experience I think there is way to little teaching and expanding on this process and a lack of clear methodological approaches, but it might just be my experience with less renowned universities.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2504.0,"score_ratio":1.6666666667} {"post_id":"a169cc","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"How do anthropologists go from raw observation and field notes to a coherent book or article? Given that anthropology is based on extensive qualitative observation, often without a clear focus initially, how do anthropologists deal with what must be an overwhelming pile of notes? In quant research, you can start by graphing things and finding summary statistics. But presumably in anthropology you just have pile of text, images, and recordings.","c_root_id_A":"eanjkcj","c_root_id_B":"eanmw7s","created_at_utc_A":1543426446,"created_at_utc_B":1543428601,"score_A":2,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"On a related note, does anyone use something like the Zettelkasten method?","human_ref_B":"It's called coding! A lot of people now days use programs like NVivo to organize their notes instead of tediously organizing everything into literal physical piles. Essentially one just reads and reads all of their field notes, interview transcripts, etc and organizes everything into \"codes\" or reoccuring themes. This process makes drawing conclusions from ones material MUCH easier.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":2155.0,"score_ratio":2.5} {"post_id":"s6tzm1","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.85,"history":"From a hunter-gatherer's perspective, what's the point of switching to agriculture? Apologies if this has been answered, I couldn't find the topic in the search bar. I'm trying to understand why many humans would have switched to agriculture as opposed to being hunter-gatherers. Isn't it far less effort to hunt animals and forage than to spend ages waiting for crops to grow, enduring bad harvests, blight, exhausted soil, etc?","c_root_id_A":"ht6q9yv","c_root_id_B":"ht6k4a3","created_at_utc_A":1642519876,"created_at_utc_B":1642517374,"score_A":20,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"An all-comprehensive response is very difficult, not only because the way in which agriculture arose and spread was highly varied, but also because there is considerable scientific investigation and debate going on regarding the specificities. \r But I try to give you a short summary of the most important points, based mainly on Scarre, C. (2017). The Human Past: World History & the Development of Human Societies (Fourth ed.). Thames & Hudson.\r Agriculture can appear in any given region in two main ways: either by indigenous innovation\/development or by an introduction from the outside. \r We know of at least 7 regions of the world, that agricultural practices developed independently (Southwest Asia, East Asia, New Guinea, sub-Saharan Africa, Andean South America, Central Mexico, and the eastern US). But what their agriculture entailed and how it developed, and how it subsequently spread varied widely. \r Before I dive into the possible reasons for agricultural change, I would like to emphasize, that the adoption of agriculture in the \u201cinnovator societies\u201d was gradual. We have evidence that overwhelmingly hunter-gatherer\/forager groups increasingly started to make use of predictable food resources (such as plants that are abundant during certain times and places, or animal herds that migrate through certain regions at certain times), they increasingly started to manage these resources, and eventually domesticate them and focus their subsistence strategies on these. This, at least in the cases of societies relying on plant-based agriculture, usually led to permanent settlement, but the change seems to be gradual in this too. So, just to use a simple, but conceivable example, it\u2019s possible that a group of humans realized that there is an area where fruit grows abundantly in certain parts of the year, thus they started to visit this area each year to exploit it. They carry some of the fruit with them and probably dispose of the seeds around their temporary camps. As they visited these sites again, they might have realized that new trees grew from the \u201cplanted\u201d seeds, thus they might have started to intentionally plant trees at other locations they visited. As the number of these predictable resources increased, humans might have been keener on relying on them, making a loop, in which engagement with agriculture resulted in even more reliance on agriculture and even more incentive to engage with it. \r Now let\u2019s consider the reasons why people started to be engaged with agriculture, and why only after thousands of years of the existence of physiologically modern humans. One important reason that had been argued is that the climate of most regions of the world was widely unpredictable before the last Ice Age (c. 11,500 years ago), which didn\u2019t leave much place for agriculture. But after that, the climate slowly stabilized and resulted in today\u2019s climate around much of the world. The modern climate stabilized only around 7,000 years ago (5000 BCE) in many regions. An illustrative example is that it was only 8,500 years ago, that in Asia, Malaysia separated from Sumatra, and in Europe, Britain separated from mainland Europe. So, the climate stabilized between 11,500-7,000 years ago, and probably it's not surprising that it\u2019s around that time, that we have started to have the earliest evidence for agriculture. \r Another reason proposed is that people were \u201cforced\u201d to adopt more productive subsistence strategies because resources declined due to extensive (and increasing) human exploitation. It is argued that after the end of the last Ice Age, resources became much more abundant, and humans quickly exploited this, which led to significant population growth, especially in resource-rich areas. It\u2019s probably not surprising, that lot of people frequented the green corridor along the Nile valley, which was so much more resourceful than the area around it (even when we consider that parts of the Sahara were more like a Savanna and habitable back then). So as a consequence, human groups started to be confined to smaller areas, where intentional managing of the food resources was necessary to survive in a now less resource-rich environment with more people around. \r I also have to note that these early groups show remarkable versatility in how they adapted to changing environments (but of course, we have survival bias here). The first \u201cagriculturalists\u201d engaged with a wide variety of plants and animals. Some of the groups that we know of eventually started to depend more and more on staple cereals (such as wheat, millet, rice, barley, corn), tubers, or other fruits and vegetables, many also made extensive use of animals. Dogs are the earliest examples, but we have also very early examples of not just fishing, but also creating structures for exploiting water-based resources. Pastoralism and other forms of husbandry were also present from an early time, and these again were gradually incorporated into the strategies of the groups. This, opposed in most cases to plant-based agriculture, did not require settlement of the groups. We also have evidence, that certain groups changed their strategies according to the changes in their environment, thus a different mix of hunting, gathering, foraging, animal, and plant management strategies were used as times required. Some societies even went back to being hunter\/gatherers after an agricultural phase. \r Now, as for the dispersal of agriculture. Whereas in some places, agriculture was \u201cindigenous\u201d, in other places, it was introduced from the outside. This had two main channels. One is that the neighbors and trade partners of already agriculturalist groups borrowed the invention in a peaceful way and on a voluntary basis. This certainly happened. But it seems that more frequently, agriculture was spread by the dispersal of agriculturalist populations, who either displaced former local (hunter\/gatherer) populations or assimilated them. It seems very likely, that a mixture of these forces was at play at most places since foreign influences might have influenced the adoption of certain elements of agriculture, while also influencing local domestication of indigenous species.","human_ref_B":"Paleoanthropologist Miki Ben-Dor suggests that humans may have been incentivized to adopt agriculture partially due to diminishing returns from having to rely on ever-decreasing prey size in order to feed themselves. He argues that the ideal prey for humans were mammoths, as they are thought to possess about 30% fat amongst edible tissues, which he says is what humans are evolved to eat. As mammoths were hunted to extinction (I know there's still controversy regarding megafaunal extinction but I'm convinced it was primarily caused by humans), humans had to switch to the next largest megafauna, then on to the next largest, until we arrive at modern hunter-gatherers, many of whom have to rely on prey that is actually smaller in body mass than the hunters themselves. The bow and arrow apparently doesn't show up in the archaeological record until fairly recently to coincide with the shift towards hunting smaller prey (you'd use spears against megafauna). With declining prey size comes decreasing fat ratios associated with increased effort required to find food (more frequent hunts), which, according to Ben-Dor, primed humans to look for alternative ways to get food. Another contributing factor to the switch to agriculture was the dawning of an interglacial period right around 12,000 years ago. Glaciers receding plus a stabilization of temperate climates made grain agriculture viable. Whereas before, humans may have practiced some small degree of horticulture, they were now able to practice agriculture in earnest. I don't quite recall my source for this, it might have been in *Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind* by Yuval Noah Harari, but I don't think this is a particularly controversial take so it might have been stated in many sources I've looked at over the years. However, according to Mark Nathan Cohen in *Health and the Rise of Civilization*, the switch to agriculture almost immediately led to declines in human health, though obviously the net result of being able to grow your population beyond the normal limits of hunter-gatherer bands speaks for itself...","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2502.0,"score_ratio":10.0} {"post_id":"b8q89s","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Were stone tools used in the early bronze age? In the late bronze age, was bronze used by even the poorest of laborers?","c_root_id_A":"ejzuweh","c_root_id_B":"ejzuc5b","created_at_utc_A":1554258280,"created_at_utc_B":1554257824,"score_A":35,"score_B":34,"human_ref_A":"Flintknapping as a profession was still very active in the 19th century. The product was gunflints. To this day some indigenous groups still make stone hidescrapers because stone is a superior raw material for the task. Anyway to answer your question, bronze was an expensive metal and many people would not have had bronze tools. One of the important aspects of the \u201cIron Age\u201d was iron was much cheaper to obtain and easier to work and more or most people could afford iron tools.","human_ref_B":"We still use stone tools. Ever heard of a mortar and pestle?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":456.0,"score_ratio":1.0294117647} {"post_id":"b8q89s","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"Were stone tools used in the early bronze age? In the late bronze age, was bronze used by even the poorest of laborers?","c_root_id_A":"ejzvxc6","c_root_id_B":"ek0fy8f","created_at_utc_A":1554259109,"created_at_utc_B":1554285122,"score_A":4,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"Plowing with wooden ards. Cutting with stone tools. Save up for bronze. Possibly copper tools since the most expensive part of the bronze is the tin used to alloy it.","human_ref_B":"You can see the transition really clearly with ancient Egypt. There are numerous examples of wooden and stone tools during the height of the bronze age, around 1190 BCE . Bronze, as metals go, is pretty soft, so it was great for things like arrowheads, spear tips, and short blades but quickly lost it's edge and was relatively expensive. Expensive because making it required skilled labor and forge whereas a single individual could make stone tools. The tools of most people, the plows, mallets, and various farming implements would still be stone and wood. Iron was a bit different as it quickly became cheap once the smithing technology developed. But bronze and flint tools still persisted to some degree. Stone arrowheads were pretty common for hunting, for example. Bronze knives and other objects remained fairly common in the Roman iron age. New tech adoption happened at a snail's pace compared to modern day. Like 100 years ago we barely had planes. The transition between bronze tool\/weapon usage amd iron took hundreds of years. Like iron weapons were useful right away but it still took over about 300 years for them to become widespread.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":26013.0,"score_ratio":1.75} {"post_id":"6fpznx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.89,"history":"Other than the supposed \"oldest profession\" what were the first jobs that didn't involve finding or producing food? The first people that went a significant period of time without hunting, gathering or farming, who instead got their food in exchange for a service, what was that service?","c_root_id_A":"dikk1lt","c_root_id_B":"dikxb0z","created_at_utc_A":1496825104,"created_at_utc_B":1496848097,"score_A":12,"score_B":22,"human_ref_A":"While artist\/jewelmaker is a good guess, I suspect the people who did that also primarily partook in the other activities like hunting and gathering. On the other hand it is certainly possible to argue that the artistry required to make some of these items required a highly specialized individual that may have devoted their time to this rather than hunting or gathering. I would argue it was a spiritual leader though. A shaman or whatever you want to call them. And we are pretty sure such individuals have existed for a long time. The Shanidar man is a classic example of someone that has been interpreted as a shaman (~60,000 years old). And he was wounded to the point where he would have been unable to partake in physical activities, yet he was still tended to and kept alive.","human_ref_B":"In order to have a \"job\" there has to be an economy with a method for paying wages. Otherwise, we're just talking about \"subsistence activities.\" Hunting and gathering are not usually described as \"jobs\" and your post indicates that you don't consider them jobs, either. So let's start there. One of the very earliest \"jobs\" is then pottery. Classical authors argued that it was the earliest job or profession, but the archaeological evidence also so argues. First, to get good pottery (especially fired pottery, pottery thrown on a wheel, ceramic glazes), you need to spend a lot of time on it, and you need to specialize. Most archaeologists believe that by 18KYA these skills were spreading rapidly from Asia into the Middle East. Food preservation and trading must have been popular. There's no money at that time, but there are chit-like things (shells,etc) and of course, barter. At any rate, people who wanted a pot would have had to have a need for it (some kind of surplus, and in those days, a tendency to be semi-sedentary at least, as most of these pots weren't built for being carried around on yet-to-exist domesticated animals nor does it seem that tump lines are in widespread use). Potters spend more and more time making their pots (perhaps there were 1-2 potters in a family) and less time gettng their own food. People who are good at getting food and have a small surplus (let's say, of dried meat or dried berries) trade those things for a pot to keep their dried goods safe from rodents, etc. Voil\u00e0! Some people are now \"working\" at the specialization of pottery and others are paying them in kind for their work. Many archaeologists would say that the potter's wheel (which appears around 14-18KYA) is a sign that someone is spending a lot of time thinking about and almost exclusively working on problems of pottery. So my own view is that it is...pottery making. With a little ingenuity (and a lot of research), it's possibly that weaving could be a contender (shows up first in Europe at perhaps 22KYA) but doesn't seem to be widely traded at that point. Nets (from 28KYA) are clearly sophisticated but if modern net making is used to inform us about the past (see Geertz's rubric for that), most people held on tightly to the net they had made, as they were so time intensive and valuable. Doesn't seem to be evidence for \"extra nets\" in the Paleolithic economy. But by 12,000BP, it's possible to argue that some of the woven goods found in some cultures (especially peripatetic ones) were woven elsewhere and that they traded for them. Certainly by 8000BP, it can be argued.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":22993.0,"score_ratio":1.8333333333} {"post_id":"adhzl3","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.81,"history":"Jordan Peterson frequently cites studies that suggest that cultural acceptance of wider gender roles, in fact, leads to higher statistical selection of traditional roles. How strong is this evidence? What does it tell us about social constructionism? I hear him site this frequently but wanted to know if all the literature supports this. Is there similar racial evidence?","c_root_id_A":"edhqxkz","c_root_id_B":"ediuca5","created_at_utc_A":1546885664,"created_at_utc_B":1546907522,"score_A":29,"score_B":64,"human_ref_A":"Hey, I've heard a lot about Peterson but never read him- however his Lunch with FT article gave away opinions ('Peterson has already accused feminists who defend Muslim rights of an \u201cunconscious wish for brutal male domination\u201d', 'But he also wants society to \u201cstop teaching 19-year-old girls that their primary destiny is career' etc) that were problematic at best, and downright ignorant at worst. Also, bear in mind he's a psychologist not a social theorist, and that actual anthropologists & social theorists do not take his publicly popular works seriously. All this suggests at the very least that you should be suspicious of what he says about gender roles, because he doesn't seem to draw from the work of actual sociologists, anthropologists etc. In any case- could you share some article of his by way of an example? Happy to go through and share my thoughts. If you prefer, happy to do so over PM. This week is a bit busy, but I can do this over the coming weekend. Also, what exactly do you have in mind when you say social constructionism\/constructivism?","human_ref_B":"By the way, speaking about the Swedish study cited, one of the contributing researchers to the paper has himself made a public statement about how Peterson is misusing and misrepresenting his data: https:\/\/www.aftonbladet.se\/debatt\/a\/0E8vo2\/loof-har-ratt--jordan-b-peterson-har-fel It's in Swedish but I'm sure Google translate will at least do a decent job in making it understandable.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":21858.0,"score_ratio":2.2068965517} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8ube19","c_root_id_B":"e8u8vv9","created_at_utc_A":1541070014,"created_at_utc_B":1541065101,"score_A":21,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. The author actually undertakes the journey from central Mexico to Washington state with a group of migrants looking for work. He documents the insane hardships they go through, even after they arrive to the US and are exploited by agricultural institutions. One of the more interesting chapters talks about how much the industry of agriculture depends on undocumented workers here in the US. Makes you think about how cheap food and produce is here, and who we have to thank for that.","human_ref_B":"I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4913.0,"score_ratio":2.1} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u4lkg","c_root_id_B":"e8ube19","created_at_utc_A":1541055441,"created_at_utc_B":1541070014,"score_A":9,"score_B":21,"human_ref_A":"Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict. Great introductory read to anthropology (but somewhat outdated factually speaking)","human_ref_B":"Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. The author actually undertakes the journey from central Mexico to Washington state with a group of migrants looking for work. He documents the insane hardships they go through, even after they arrive to the US and are exploited by agricultural institutions. One of the more interesting chapters talks about how much the industry of agriculture depends on undocumented workers here in the US. Makes you think about how cheap food and produce is here, and who we have to thank for that.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":14573.0,"score_ratio":2.3333333333} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8ube19","c_root_id_B":"e8u2eyn","created_at_utc_A":1541070014,"created_at_utc_B":1541051162,"score_A":21,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. The author actually undertakes the journey from central Mexico to Washington state with a group of migrants looking for work. He documents the insane hardships they go through, even after they arrive to the US and are exploited by agricultural institutions. One of the more interesting chapters talks about how much the industry of agriculture depends on undocumented workers here in the US. Makes you think about how cheap food and produce is here, and who we have to thank for that.","human_ref_B":"I\u2019m reading the land of open graves at the moment by Jason de Leon, enjoying it quite a bit!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":18852.0,"score_ratio":2.625} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8tz1rr","c_root_id_B":"e8ube19","created_at_utc_A":1541046118,"created_at_utc_B":1541070014,"score_A":7,"score_B":21,"human_ref_A":"There is a reading list in the sidebar. Regarding relevance or still holding weight you need to remember that anthropologists are humans who live in time and space even if it is recently written. There is merit in both Mead and Friedman\u2019s analysis of the women of Samoa for example. Anthropology is a lens to see the world and I think the best starter for the layman is a history of theory in the field.","human_ref_B":"Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. The author actually undertakes the journey from central Mexico to Washington state with a group of migrants looking for work. He documents the insane hardships they go through, even after they arrive to the US and are exploited by agricultural institutions. One of the more interesting chapters talks about how much the industry of agriculture depends on undocumented workers here in the US. Makes you think about how cheap food and produce is here, and who we have to thank for that.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":23896.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8ube19","c_root_id_B":"e8u0aio","created_at_utc_A":1541070014,"created_at_utc_B":1541047850,"score_A":21,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. The author actually undertakes the journey from central Mexico to Washington state with a group of migrants looking for work. He documents the insane hardships they go through, even after they arrive to the US and are exploited by agricultural institutions. One of the more interesting chapters talks about how much the industry of agriculture depends on undocumented workers here in the US. Makes you think about how cheap food and produce is here, and who we have to thank for that.","human_ref_B":"Close Encounters with Humankind","labels":1,"seconds_difference":22164.0,"score_ratio":4.2} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u0ao8","c_root_id_B":"e8ube19","created_at_utc_A":1541047856,"created_at_utc_B":1541070014,"score_A":2,"score_B":21,"human_ref_A":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","human_ref_B":"Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. The author actually undertakes the journey from central Mexico to Washington state with a group of migrants looking for work. He documents the insane hardships they go through, even after they arrive to the US and are exploited by agricultural institutions. One of the more interesting chapters talks about how much the industry of agriculture depends on undocumented workers here in the US. Makes you think about how cheap food and produce is here, and who we have to thank for that.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":22158.0,"score_ratio":10.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8ue09f","c_root_id_B":"e8u8vv9","created_at_utc_A":1541074009,"created_at_utc_B":1541065101,"score_A":18,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"*The Mushroom at the End of the World* was written pretty recently by anthropologist Anna Tsing for a general audience. Tsing is part of the new and somewhat growing group of anthropologists focusing on humans as they relate to the environment and nonhuman beings.","human_ref_B":"I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":8908.0,"score_ratio":1.8} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u4lkg","c_root_id_B":"e8ue09f","created_at_utc_A":1541055441,"created_at_utc_B":1541074009,"score_A":9,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict. Great introductory read to anthropology (but somewhat outdated factually speaking)","human_ref_B":"*The Mushroom at the End of the World* was written pretty recently by anthropologist Anna Tsing for a general audience. Tsing is part of the new and somewhat growing group of anthropologists focusing on humans as they relate to the environment and nonhuman beings.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":18568.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u2eyn","c_root_id_B":"e8ue09f","created_at_utc_A":1541051162,"created_at_utc_B":1541074009,"score_A":8,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"I\u2019m reading the land of open graves at the moment by Jason de Leon, enjoying it quite a bit!","human_ref_B":"*The Mushroom at the End of the World* was written pretty recently by anthropologist Anna Tsing for a general audience. Tsing is part of the new and somewhat growing group of anthropologists focusing on humans as they relate to the environment and nonhuman beings.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":22847.0,"score_ratio":2.25} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8uct0o","c_root_id_B":"e8ue09f","created_at_utc_A":1541072310,"created_at_utc_B":1541074009,"score_A":9,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"Read the \"Deep Play\" chapter in Clifford Geertz's *Interpretation of Cultures* in the sidebar. It's as much \"how to do think about\/write anthropology\" as it is a study of the culture surrounding cockfighting in Bali, but it's still a great read full of fascinating insights into one of the world's most ancient bloodsports in a Balinese context.","human_ref_B":"*The Mushroom at the End of the World* was written pretty recently by anthropologist Anna Tsing for a general audience. Tsing is part of the new and somewhat growing group of anthropologists focusing on humans as they relate to the environment and nonhuman beings.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1699.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8ue09f","c_root_id_B":"e8tz1rr","created_at_utc_A":1541074009,"created_at_utc_B":1541046118,"score_A":18,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"*The Mushroom at the End of the World* was written pretty recently by anthropologist Anna Tsing for a general audience. Tsing is part of the new and somewhat growing group of anthropologists focusing on humans as they relate to the environment and nonhuman beings.","human_ref_B":"There is a reading list in the sidebar. Regarding relevance or still holding weight you need to remember that anthropologists are humans who live in time and space even if it is recently written. There is merit in both Mead and Friedman\u2019s analysis of the women of Samoa for example. Anthropology is a lens to see the world and I think the best starter for the layman is a history of theory in the field.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":27891.0,"score_ratio":2.5714285714} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u0aio","c_root_id_B":"e8ue09f","created_at_utc_A":1541047850,"created_at_utc_B":1541074009,"score_A":5,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"Close Encounters with Humankind","human_ref_B":"*The Mushroom at the End of the World* was written pretty recently by anthropologist Anna Tsing for a general audience. Tsing is part of the new and somewhat growing group of anthropologists focusing on humans as they relate to the environment and nonhuman beings.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":26159.0,"score_ratio":3.6} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8ue09f","c_root_id_B":"e8u0ao8","created_at_utc_A":1541074009,"created_at_utc_B":1541047856,"score_A":18,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"*The Mushroom at the End of the World* was written pretty recently by anthropologist Anna Tsing for a general audience. Tsing is part of the new and somewhat growing group of anthropologists focusing on humans as they relate to the environment and nonhuman beings.","human_ref_B":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":26153.0,"score_ratio":9.0} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u8vv9","c_root_id_B":"e8u4lkg","created_at_utc_A":1541065101,"created_at_utc_B":1541055441,"score_A":10,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.","human_ref_B":"Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict. Great introductory read to anthropology (but somewhat outdated factually speaking)","labels":1,"seconds_difference":9660.0,"score_ratio":1.1111111111} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u2eyn","c_root_id_B":"e8u8vv9","created_at_utc_A":1541051162,"created_at_utc_B":1541065101,"score_A":8,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"I\u2019m reading the land of open graves at the moment by Jason de Leon, enjoying it quite a bit!","human_ref_B":"I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":13939.0,"score_ratio":1.25} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u8vv9","c_root_id_B":"e8tz1rr","created_at_utc_A":1541065101,"created_at_utc_B":1541046118,"score_A":10,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.","human_ref_B":"There is a reading list in the sidebar. Regarding relevance or still holding weight you need to remember that anthropologists are humans who live in time and space even if it is recently written. There is merit in both Mead and Friedman\u2019s analysis of the women of Samoa for example. Anthropology is a lens to see the world and I think the best starter for the layman is a history of theory in the field.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":18983.0,"score_ratio":1.4285714286} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u8vv9","c_root_id_B":"e8u0aio","created_at_utc_A":1541065101,"created_at_utc_B":1541047850,"score_A":10,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.","human_ref_B":"Close Encounters with Humankind","labels":1,"seconds_difference":17251.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u8vv9","c_root_id_B":"e8u0ao8","created_at_utc_A":1541065101,"created_at_utc_B":1541047856,"score_A":10,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"I love How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, it's an introductory text to all the basic anthropological concepts.","human_ref_B":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":17245.0,"score_ratio":5.0} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u2eyn","c_root_id_B":"e8u4lkg","created_at_utc_A":1541051162,"created_at_utc_B":1541055441,"score_A":8,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"I\u2019m reading the land of open graves at the moment by Jason de Leon, enjoying it quite a bit!","human_ref_B":"Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict. Great introductory read to anthropology (but somewhat outdated factually speaking)","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4279.0,"score_ratio":1.125} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8tz1rr","c_root_id_B":"e8u4lkg","created_at_utc_A":1541046118,"created_at_utc_B":1541055441,"score_A":7,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"There is a reading list in the sidebar. Regarding relevance or still holding weight you need to remember that anthropologists are humans who live in time and space even if it is recently written. There is merit in both Mead and Friedman\u2019s analysis of the women of Samoa for example. Anthropology is a lens to see the world and I think the best starter for the layman is a history of theory in the field.","human_ref_B":"Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict. Great introductory read to anthropology (but somewhat outdated factually speaking)","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9323.0,"score_ratio":1.2857142857} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u0aio","c_root_id_B":"e8u4lkg","created_at_utc_A":1541047850,"created_at_utc_B":1541055441,"score_A":5,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"Close Encounters with Humankind","human_ref_B":"Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict. Great introductory read to anthropology (but somewhat outdated factually speaking)","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7591.0,"score_ratio":1.8} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u0ao8","c_root_id_B":"e8u4lkg","created_at_utc_A":1541047856,"created_at_utc_B":1541055441,"score_A":2,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","human_ref_B":"Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict. 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(Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u2eyn","c_root_id_B":"e8tz1rr","created_at_utc_A":1541051162,"created_at_utc_B":1541046118,"score_A":8,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"I\u2019m reading the land of open graves at the moment by Jason de Leon, enjoying it quite a bit!","human_ref_B":"There is a reading list in the sidebar. Regarding relevance or still holding weight you need to remember that anthropologists are humans who live in time and space even if it is recently written. There is merit in both Mead and Friedman\u2019s analysis of the women of Samoa for example. Anthropology is a lens to see the world and I think the best starter for the layman is a history of theory in the field.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5044.0,"score_ratio":1.1428571429} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u2eyn","c_root_id_B":"e8u0aio","created_at_utc_A":1541051162,"created_at_utc_B":1541047850,"score_A":8,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"I\u2019m reading the land of open graves at the moment by Jason de Leon, enjoying it quite a bit!","human_ref_B":"Close Encounters with Humankind","labels":1,"seconds_difference":3312.0,"score_ratio":1.6} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u0ao8","c_root_id_B":"e8u2eyn","created_at_utc_A":1541047856,"created_at_utc_B":1541051162,"score_A":2,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","human_ref_B":"I\u2019m reading the land of open graves at the moment by Jason de Leon, enjoying it quite a bit!","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3306.0,"score_ratio":4.0} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8tz1rr","c_root_id_B":"e8uct0o","created_at_utc_A":1541046118,"created_at_utc_B":1541072310,"score_A":7,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"There is a reading list in the sidebar. Regarding relevance or still holding weight you need to remember that anthropologists are humans who live in time and space even if it is recently written. There is merit in both Mead and Friedman\u2019s analysis of the women of Samoa for example. Anthropology is a lens to see the world and I think the best starter for the layman is a history of theory in the field.","human_ref_B":"Read the \"Deep Play\" chapter in Clifford Geertz's *Interpretation of Cultures* in the sidebar. It's as much \"how to do think about\/write anthropology\" as it is a study of the culture surrounding cockfighting in Bali, but it's still a great read full of fascinating insights into one of the world's most ancient bloodsports in a Balinese context.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":26192.0,"score_ratio":1.2857142857} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8uct0o","c_root_id_B":"e8u0aio","created_at_utc_A":1541072310,"created_at_utc_B":1541047850,"score_A":9,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"Read the \"Deep Play\" chapter in Clifford Geertz's *Interpretation of Cultures* in the sidebar. It's as much \"how to do think about\/write anthropology\" as it is a study of the culture surrounding cockfighting in Bali, but it's still a great read full of fascinating insights into one of the world's most ancient bloodsports in a Balinese context.","human_ref_B":"Close Encounters with Humankind","labels":1,"seconds_difference":24460.0,"score_ratio":1.8} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8u0ao8","c_root_id_B":"e8uct0o","created_at_utc_A":1541047856,"created_at_utc_B":1541072310,"score_A":2,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","human_ref_B":"Read the \"Deep Play\" chapter in Clifford Geertz's *Interpretation of Cultures* in the sidebar. It's as much \"how to do think about\/write anthropology\" as it is a study of the culture surrounding cockfighting in Bali, but it's still a great read full of fascinating insights into one of the world's most ancient bloodsports in a Balinese context.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":24454.0,"score_ratio":4.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8vhetm","c_root_id_B":"e8u0ao8","created_at_utc_A":1541107535,"created_at_utc_B":1541047856,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"'Improvising Medicine: An African Oncology Ward in an Emerging Cancer Epidemic' by Julie Livingston is my favourite ethnography of all time.","human_ref_B":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":59679.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8vhetm","c_root_id_B":"e8ufeyq","created_at_utc_A":1541107535,"created_at_utc_B":1541075781,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"'Improvising Medicine: An African Oncology Ward in an Emerging Cancer Epidemic' by Julie Livingston is my favourite ethnography of all time.","human_ref_B":"Gregory Bateson, Step to an Ecology of Mind.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":31754.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8unv70","c_root_id_B":"e8vhetm","created_at_utc_A":1541084144,"created_at_utc_B":1541107535,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"My favorite book from undergrad was How We Do It: The Evolution and Future of Human Reproduction by Robert Martin. Well written, smart, and utterly fascinating.","human_ref_B":"'Improvising Medicine: An African Oncology Ward in an Emerging Cancer Epidemic' by Julie Livingston is my favourite ethnography of all time.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":23391.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8uou2x","c_root_id_B":"e8vhetm","created_at_utc_A":1541085017,"created_at_utc_B":1541107535,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Not an anthropological text, but it's a required reading for the medical anthropology course I'm taking right now. It's called \"On Immunity: An Innoculation\" by Eula Biss. It's about the fear of contagion, innoculation, vaccination and a bunch of other really important themes. Highly recommend.","human_ref_B":"'Improvising Medicine: An African Oncology Ward in an Emerging Cancer Epidemic' by Julie Livingston is my favourite ethnography of all time.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":22518.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8vhetm","c_root_id_B":"e8ur14a","created_at_utc_A":1541107535,"created_at_utc_B":1541086832,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"'Improvising Medicine: An African Oncology Ward in an Emerging Cancer Epidemic' by Julie Livingston is my favourite ethnography of all time.","human_ref_B":"This is a little specific to my area of interest, but it's very readable to general audiences I think. One of my favourite reads: *UNBEATEN TRACKS IN JAPAN AN ACCOUNT OF TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR INCLUDING VISITS TO THE ABORIGINES OF YEZO AND THE SHRINE OF NIKKO BY ISABELLA L. BIRD*. Readable in full at the Gutenberg link above. This was written in 1878, with all the wonderful baggage you might expect with an English woman travelling in Japan in that period. This might not be what you're looking for, since you mention 'ideas' in the field, and this is very much a travelogue. I love this one a lot though, and re-read it every couple years. :)","labels":1,"seconds_difference":20703.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8vmm2d","c_root_id_B":"e8u0ao8","created_at_utc_A":1541111943,"created_at_utc_B":1541047856,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"A Primate's Memoir is one of my favorite books, I was assigned it for class and have read it multiple times since and recommend it as reading for friends and family. It's beautifully written and touching and fascinating.","human_ref_B":"Race: Are we really that different? Is one of my favorite \u201cbeginner\u201d books.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":64087.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8ufeyq","c_root_id_B":"e8vmm2d","created_at_utc_A":1541075781,"created_at_utc_B":1541111943,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Gregory Bateson, Step to an Ecology of Mind.","human_ref_B":"A Primate's Memoir is one of my favorite books, I was assigned it for class and have read it multiple times since and recommend it as reading for friends and family. It's beautifully written and touching and fascinating.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":36162.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8unv70","c_root_id_B":"e8vmm2d","created_at_utc_A":1541084144,"created_at_utc_B":1541111943,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"My favorite book from undergrad was How We Do It: The Evolution and Future of Human Reproduction by Robert Martin. Well written, smart, and utterly fascinating.","human_ref_B":"A Primate's Memoir is one of my favorite books, I was assigned it for class and have read it multiple times since and recommend it as reading for friends and family. It's beautifully written and touching and fascinating.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":27799.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8vmm2d","c_root_id_B":"e8uou2x","created_at_utc_A":1541111943,"created_at_utc_B":1541085017,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"A Primate's Memoir is one of my favorite books, I was assigned it for class and have read it multiple times since and recommend it as reading for friends and family. It's beautifully written and touching and fascinating.","human_ref_B":"Not an anthropological text, but it's a required reading for the medical anthropology course I'm taking right now. It's called \"On Immunity: An Innoculation\" by Eula Biss. It's about the fear of contagion, innoculation, vaccination and a bunch of other really important themes. Highly recommend.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":26926.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9t5wyi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"What are some great anthropology books you'd recommend for general readers? Recommendations of individual works as well as authors\/anthropologists who frequently write for general audiences are both welcome. Any topic or focus within any sub-branch of anthropology. (Please only recommend classic works if the ideas in them still hold considerable weight in the field).","c_root_id_A":"e8vmm2d","c_root_id_B":"e8ur14a","created_at_utc_A":1541111943,"created_at_utc_B":1541086832,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"A Primate's Memoir is one of my favorite books, I was assigned it for class and have read it multiple times since and recommend it as reading for friends and family. It's beautifully written and touching and fascinating.","human_ref_B":"This is a little specific to my area of interest, but it's very readable to general audiences I think. One of my favourite reads: *UNBEATEN TRACKS IN JAPAN AN ACCOUNT OF TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR INCLUDING VISITS TO THE ABORIGINES OF YEZO AND THE SHRINE OF NIKKO BY ISABELLA L. BIRD*. Readable in full at the Gutenberg link above. This was written in 1878, with all the wonderful baggage you might expect with an English woman travelling in Japan in that period. This might not be what you're looking for, since you mention 'ideas' in the field, and this is very much a travelogue. I love this one a lot though, and re-read it every couple years. :)","labels":1,"seconds_difference":25111.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h57fd61","c_root_id_B":"h56dzhg","created_at_utc_A":1626300855,"created_at_utc_B":1626284041,"score_A":25,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"Its very complicated. The culture cultures native to Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the oldest living ethnolinguistic \"cultures\" on the British isles with a degree of continuity to them. BUT, BUT, BUT... There are a bajillion asterisks to this statement. 1. the celts were not the FIRST peoples to live in the British isles. 2. its not known to what extent the Celts directly settled the isles or if they sort of, exported their culture and language through the cultural prestige they wielded via their control of bronze\/early iron age continental trade routes 3. to what extent can the \"Celts\", who at the time of arriving in britain were a linguistically and culturally diverse spectrum of independent tribes, be defined as a single culture? Also, Gaelic languages and Brythonic languages like modern Irish and Welsh respectively probably had their ancestors arrive in the British isles at the same time. But on Great Britain specifically (i.e, not Ireland), Brythonic languages are older. Gaelic languages only began making headway there in the 5th-ish century AD, when the Scottii tribe from modern day Ulster, Ireland, migrated into the Northern Britain, eventually giving their name to the modern country of Scotland.","human_ref_B":"Shared culture is generally considered a wider basis for ethnicity, there are many facets of that which can include language, shared history, and similar. Ethnicity is not necessarily tied to language. E.g. by current Office for National Statistics standards Australians living in the UK (non-UK citizens) and British-Born individuals would both mark different boxes. Even if both were white, genetically similar, and both speaking English. There is also quite significant differences in the history of the people of each area of the UK, so the \u2018Scottish have more right to be an ethnicity than the Welsh\u2019 is not based on any fact. They\u2019re both equally valid and share a national culture. It would be a stronger argument to put forward the notion that we could separate other areas of the UK with strong regional identities. But there is a balance between understanding specific groups, without being too broad or too specific in scope for ethnicity as a definition. What your question does point out though is that ethnicity is not a definition set in stone and it changes over time. We don\u2019t measure \u2018Roman\u2019, \u2018Viking\u2019, \u2018Norman\u2019, or similar given those identities are no longer current in the UK and over time blended into new forms of identity. Example definition: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/9781118924396.wbiea1948","labels":1,"seconds_difference":16814.0,"score_ratio":1.3888888889} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56nc5p","c_root_id_B":"h57fd61","created_at_utc_A":1626288159,"created_at_utc_B":1626300855,"score_A":20,"score_B":25,"human_ref_A":"So the distinction is fraught with generalizations regarding race and ethnicity, but here goes. The Welsh are often referred to as True Britons (Brittonic), who inhabitated Great Britain before the Roman Invasion. They are considered a subset of Celts, but also claim to descend from the Beaker (pre-Celtic) People of the British Isles (think Stonehenge builders). Despite Roman rule, these were still the common folk of the island. When the Romans left, the Angles and Saxons (Germanic) invaded, and took much of the island. These Germanic peoples pushed the Brittonic peoples back to Wales, Cromwell, and Southern Scotland or just incorporated them. Now we run into the question of being Scottish. The Scotti were a Gaelic tribe from Northern Ireland who settled in Central and Northern Scotland. So \"Scottish\" is actually the mix of the Lowland Scottish (Brittonic) and Highland Scottish (Gaelic). And the next question I bet you have is: Who were the Gaels? Well, they're ALSO a subset of Celts who developed on Ireland and the Isle of Man. So all in all, they are different cultures coming from similar Celtic stock. So at this point, we have discussed 3 groups of peoples on the British Isles; Brittonic, Gaelic, and Germanic. To make things fun, lets dive into the Viking Invasions. This adds Scandinavian blood to the mix, which one could argue isn't all that different from Germanic. They settled mostly in Northern and Eastern England, the Isle of Man, and Eastern Ireland. And finally, lets throw the Normans in, who were Scandinavians who had settled in France. William the Conqueror claimed some English lands due to some old family ties back to the Viking kings in England. So now, depending on what you consider \"ethnically\" similar enough to be considered 1 ethnicity, you have anywhere from 2 to, like, 10 different ethnicities on the British Isles. So it all depends on how you define \"ethnicity\". At what point did the Gaels become a differnet ethnicity from the Brittonic peoples? Were Normans different ethnically from the Scandinavian Vikings? If not, are Scandinavians ethnically different from Germanic peoples like the Angles and Saxons? How much blood does it take to take to be part of a culture? Is it purely cultural? How important is language? Religion? I'll let you tackle that one.","human_ref_B":"Its very complicated. The culture cultures native to Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the oldest living ethnolinguistic \"cultures\" on the British isles with a degree of continuity to them. BUT, BUT, BUT... There are a bajillion asterisks to this statement. 1. the celts were not the FIRST peoples to live in the British isles. 2. its not known to what extent the Celts directly settled the isles or if they sort of, exported their culture and language through the cultural prestige they wielded via their control of bronze\/early iron age continental trade routes 3. to what extent can the \"Celts\", who at the time of arriving in britain were a linguistically and culturally diverse spectrum of independent tribes, be defined as a single culture? Also, Gaelic languages and Brythonic languages like modern Irish and Welsh respectively probably had their ancestors arrive in the British isles at the same time. But on Great Britain specifically (i.e, not Ireland), Brythonic languages are older. Gaelic languages only began making headway there in the 5th-ish century AD, when the Scottii tribe from modern day Ulster, Ireland, migrated into the Northern Britain, eventually giving their name to the modern country of Scotland.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":12696.0,"score_ratio":1.25} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56dlns","c_root_id_B":"h57fd61","created_at_utc_A":1626283874,"created_at_utc_B":1626300855,"score_A":9,"score_B":25,"human_ref_A":"What your describing is a good example of the fact that race\/ethnicity is a social construct. Sure there may be some genetic similarities between two people who identify as welsh, but if someone who lives on the welsh side of the border and one on the english side share more genetic similarities than one person who lives on the welsh border and another who lives towards the coast, whose who? We cant make hard statements about who is what ethnicity or race. Because the lines are drawn from arbitrary rules. The Welsh are simply those who feel Welsh, i suppose","human_ref_B":"Its very complicated. The culture cultures native to Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the oldest living ethnolinguistic \"cultures\" on the British isles with a degree of continuity to them. BUT, BUT, BUT... There are a bajillion asterisks to this statement. 1. the celts were not the FIRST peoples to live in the British isles. 2. its not known to what extent the Celts directly settled the isles or if they sort of, exported their culture and language through the cultural prestige they wielded via their control of bronze\/early iron age continental trade routes 3. to what extent can the \"Celts\", who at the time of arriving in britain were a linguistically and culturally diverse spectrum of independent tribes, be defined as a single culture? Also, Gaelic languages and Brythonic languages like modern Irish and Welsh respectively probably had their ancestors arrive in the British isles at the same time. But on Great Britain specifically (i.e, not Ireland), Brythonic languages are older. Gaelic languages only began making headway there in the 5th-ish century AD, when the Scottii tribe from modern day Ulster, Ireland, migrated into the Northern Britain, eventually giving their name to the modern country of Scotland.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":16981.0,"score_ratio":2.7777777778} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h57fd61","c_root_id_B":"h573hjt","created_at_utc_A":1626300855,"created_at_utc_B":1626295366,"score_A":25,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Its very complicated. The culture cultures native to Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the oldest living ethnolinguistic \"cultures\" on the British isles with a degree of continuity to them. BUT, BUT, BUT... There are a bajillion asterisks to this statement. 1. the celts were not the FIRST peoples to live in the British isles. 2. its not known to what extent the Celts directly settled the isles or if they sort of, exported their culture and language through the cultural prestige they wielded via their control of bronze\/early iron age continental trade routes 3. to what extent can the \"Celts\", who at the time of arriving in britain were a linguistically and culturally diverse spectrum of independent tribes, be defined as a single culture? Also, Gaelic languages and Brythonic languages like modern Irish and Welsh respectively probably had their ancestors arrive in the British isles at the same time. But on Great Britain specifically (i.e, not Ireland), Brythonic languages are older. Gaelic languages only began making headway there in the 5th-ish century AD, when the Scottii tribe from modern day Ulster, Ireland, migrated into the Northern Britain, eventually giving their name to the modern country of Scotland.","human_ref_B":"I think there's already interesting discussion of your actual question, so just to be annoyingly nitpicky in case you're interested in the language topic specifically I want to share that I disagree that ethnic groups are \"normally\" or even usually tied to a language; it can reinforce ethnic, cultural (and today, national) boundaries, but usually people adopt whatever the prestige language is (the language of the rich elite use, e.g. Latin, French, Spanish, English over time). This process isn't bound to ethnicity. There is compelling evidence that Proto Indo European and its daughter languages spread via prestige-based adoption, not by Indo-European language speakers being descended from original PIE speakers.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5489.0,"score_ratio":4.1666666667} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56dzhg","c_root_id_B":"h56usc2","created_at_utc_A":1626284041,"created_at_utc_B":1626291549,"score_A":18,"score_B":27,"human_ref_A":"Shared culture is generally considered a wider basis for ethnicity, there are many facets of that which can include language, shared history, and similar. Ethnicity is not necessarily tied to language. E.g. by current Office for National Statistics standards Australians living in the UK (non-UK citizens) and British-Born individuals would both mark different boxes. Even if both were white, genetically similar, and both speaking English. There is also quite significant differences in the history of the people of each area of the UK, so the \u2018Scottish have more right to be an ethnicity than the Welsh\u2019 is not based on any fact. They\u2019re both equally valid and share a national culture. It would be a stronger argument to put forward the notion that we could separate other areas of the UK with strong regional identities. But there is a balance between understanding specific groups, without being too broad or too specific in scope for ethnicity as a definition. What your question does point out though is that ethnicity is not a definition set in stone and it changes over time. We don\u2019t measure \u2018Roman\u2019, \u2018Viking\u2019, \u2018Norman\u2019, or similar given those identities are no longer current in the UK and over time blended into new forms of identity. Example definition: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/9781118924396.wbiea1948","human_ref_B":"You might be interested in some posts I've done on r\/AskHistorians about this. Were the ancient Irish \"Celtic\"? Who are the Picts? I'd like to comment on this point of yours in particular: >Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? The disappearance of P-Celtic languages in England (except Cornwall) happened a *much* longer time ago than the forced decline of Welsh in Wales. We know very little about the mechanism by which the Celtic languages of England disappeared, but there seems to have been significant ethnic replacement by speakers of Old English. This may have been hastened by the fact that many people in Roman Britain might have been speaking a Latin vernacular rather than a Celtic language by the time the English arrived. Either way, *ethnic* replacement was pretty total, even if *population* replacement was more mixed. This was not the case in Wales, where there was much more continuity of ethnic identity since it was not conquered by the pre-Norman English. The forced decline of Welsh is within living memory, the same as Scottish Gaelic, Irish, etc.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7508.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56usc2","c_root_id_B":"h56nc5p","created_at_utc_A":1626291549,"created_at_utc_B":1626288159,"score_A":27,"score_B":20,"human_ref_A":"You might be interested in some posts I've done on r\/AskHistorians about this. Were the ancient Irish \"Celtic\"? Who are the Picts? I'd like to comment on this point of yours in particular: >Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? The disappearance of P-Celtic languages in England (except Cornwall) happened a *much* longer time ago than the forced decline of Welsh in Wales. We know very little about the mechanism by which the Celtic languages of England disappeared, but there seems to have been significant ethnic replacement by speakers of Old English. This may have been hastened by the fact that many people in Roman Britain might have been speaking a Latin vernacular rather than a Celtic language by the time the English arrived. Either way, *ethnic* replacement was pretty total, even if *population* replacement was more mixed. This was not the case in Wales, where there was much more continuity of ethnic identity since it was not conquered by the pre-Norman English. The forced decline of Welsh is within living memory, the same as Scottish Gaelic, Irish, etc.","human_ref_B":"So the distinction is fraught with generalizations regarding race and ethnicity, but here goes. The Welsh are often referred to as True Britons (Brittonic), who inhabitated Great Britain before the Roman Invasion. They are considered a subset of Celts, but also claim to descend from the Beaker (pre-Celtic) People of the British Isles (think Stonehenge builders). Despite Roman rule, these were still the common folk of the island. When the Romans left, the Angles and Saxons (Germanic) invaded, and took much of the island. These Germanic peoples pushed the Brittonic peoples back to Wales, Cromwell, and Southern Scotland or just incorporated them. Now we run into the question of being Scottish. The Scotti were a Gaelic tribe from Northern Ireland who settled in Central and Northern Scotland. So \"Scottish\" is actually the mix of the Lowland Scottish (Brittonic) and Highland Scottish (Gaelic). And the next question I bet you have is: Who were the Gaels? Well, they're ALSO a subset of Celts who developed on Ireland and the Isle of Man. So all in all, they are different cultures coming from similar Celtic stock. So at this point, we have discussed 3 groups of peoples on the British Isles; Brittonic, Gaelic, and Germanic. To make things fun, lets dive into the Viking Invasions. This adds Scandinavian blood to the mix, which one could argue isn't all that different from Germanic. They settled mostly in Northern and Eastern England, the Isle of Man, and Eastern Ireland. And finally, lets throw the Normans in, who were Scandinavians who had settled in France. William the Conqueror claimed some English lands due to some old family ties back to the Viking kings in England. So now, depending on what you consider \"ethnically\" similar enough to be considered 1 ethnicity, you have anywhere from 2 to, like, 10 different ethnicities on the British Isles. So it all depends on how you define \"ethnicity\". At what point did the Gaels become a differnet ethnicity from the Brittonic peoples? Were Normans different ethnically from the Scandinavian Vikings? If not, are Scandinavians ethnically different from Germanic peoples like the Angles and Saxons? How much blood does it take to take to be part of a culture? Is it purely cultural? How important is language? Religion? I'll let you tackle that one.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":3390.0,"score_ratio":1.35} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56dlns","c_root_id_B":"h56usc2","created_at_utc_A":1626283874,"created_at_utc_B":1626291549,"score_A":9,"score_B":27,"human_ref_A":"What your describing is a good example of the fact that race\/ethnicity is a social construct. Sure there may be some genetic similarities between two people who identify as welsh, but if someone who lives on the welsh side of the border and one on the english side share more genetic similarities than one person who lives on the welsh border and another who lives towards the coast, whose who? We cant make hard statements about who is what ethnicity or race. Because the lines are drawn from arbitrary rules. The Welsh are simply those who feel Welsh, i suppose","human_ref_B":"You might be interested in some posts I've done on r\/AskHistorians about this. Were the ancient Irish \"Celtic\"? Who are the Picts? I'd like to comment on this point of yours in particular: >Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? The disappearance of P-Celtic languages in England (except Cornwall) happened a *much* longer time ago than the forced decline of Welsh in Wales. We know very little about the mechanism by which the Celtic languages of England disappeared, but there seems to have been significant ethnic replacement by speakers of Old English. This may have been hastened by the fact that many people in Roman Britain might have been speaking a Latin vernacular rather than a Celtic language by the time the English arrived. Either way, *ethnic* replacement was pretty total, even if *population* replacement was more mixed. This was not the case in Wales, where there was much more continuity of ethnic identity since it was not conquered by the pre-Norman English. The forced decline of Welsh is within living memory, the same as Scottish Gaelic, Irish, etc.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7675.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56nc5p","c_root_id_B":"h56dzhg","created_at_utc_A":1626288159,"created_at_utc_B":1626284041,"score_A":20,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"So the distinction is fraught with generalizations regarding race and ethnicity, but here goes. The Welsh are often referred to as True Britons (Brittonic), who inhabitated Great Britain before the Roman Invasion. They are considered a subset of Celts, but also claim to descend from the Beaker (pre-Celtic) People of the British Isles (think Stonehenge builders). Despite Roman rule, these were still the common folk of the island. When the Romans left, the Angles and Saxons (Germanic) invaded, and took much of the island. These Germanic peoples pushed the Brittonic peoples back to Wales, Cromwell, and Southern Scotland or just incorporated them. Now we run into the question of being Scottish. The Scotti were a Gaelic tribe from Northern Ireland who settled in Central and Northern Scotland. So \"Scottish\" is actually the mix of the Lowland Scottish (Brittonic) and Highland Scottish (Gaelic). And the next question I bet you have is: Who were the Gaels? Well, they're ALSO a subset of Celts who developed on Ireland and the Isle of Man. So all in all, they are different cultures coming from similar Celtic stock. So at this point, we have discussed 3 groups of peoples on the British Isles; Brittonic, Gaelic, and Germanic. To make things fun, lets dive into the Viking Invasions. This adds Scandinavian blood to the mix, which one could argue isn't all that different from Germanic. They settled mostly in Northern and Eastern England, the Isle of Man, and Eastern Ireland. And finally, lets throw the Normans in, who were Scandinavians who had settled in France. William the Conqueror claimed some English lands due to some old family ties back to the Viking kings in England. So now, depending on what you consider \"ethnically\" similar enough to be considered 1 ethnicity, you have anywhere from 2 to, like, 10 different ethnicities on the British Isles. So it all depends on how you define \"ethnicity\". At what point did the Gaels become a differnet ethnicity from the Brittonic peoples? Were Normans different ethnically from the Scandinavian Vikings? If not, are Scandinavians ethnically different from Germanic peoples like the Angles and Saxons? How much blood does it take to take to be part of a culture? Is it purely cultural? How important is language? Religion? I'll let you tackle that one.","human_ref_B":"Shared culture is generally considered a wider basis for ethnicity, there are many facets of that which can include language, shared history, and similar. Ethnicity is not necessarily tied to language. E.g. by current Office for National Statistics standards Australians living in the UK (non-UK citizens) and British-Born individuals would both mark different boxes. Even if both were white, genetically similar, and both speaking English. There is also quite significant differences in the history of the people of each area of the UK, so the \u2018Scottish have more right to be an ethnicity than the Welsh\u2019 is not based on any fact. They\u2019re both equally valid and share a national culture. It would be a stronger argument to put forward the notion that we could separate other areas of the UK with strong regional identities. But there is a balance between understanding specific groups, without being too broad or too specific in scope for ethnicity as a definition. What your question does point out though is that ethnicity is not a definition set in stone and it changes over time. We don\u2019t measure \u2018Roman\u2019, \u2018Viking\u2019, \u2018Norman\u2019, or similar given those identities are no longer current in the UK and over time blended into new forms of identity. Example definition: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/9781118924396.wbiea1948","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4118.0,"score_ratio":1.1111111111} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56dlns","c_root_id_B":"h56dzhg","created_at_utc_A":1626283874,"created_at_utc_B":1626284041,"score_A":9,"score_B":18,"human_ref_A":"What your describing is a good example of the fact that race\/ethnicity is a social construct. Sure there may be some genetic similarities between two people who identify as welsh, but if someone who lives on the welsh side of the border and one on the english side share more genetic similarities than one person who lives on the welsh border and another who lives towards the coast, whose who? We cant make hard statements about who is what ethnicity or race. Because the lines are drawn from arbitrary rules. The Welsh are simply those who feel Welsh, i suppose","human_ref_B":"Shared culture is generally considered a wider basis for ethnicity, there are many facets of that which can include language, shared history, and similar. Ethnicity is not necessarily tied to language. E.g. by current Office for National Statistics standards Australians living in the UK (non-UK citizens) and British-Born individuals would both mark different boxes. Even if both were white, genetically similar, and both speaking English. There is also quite significant differences in the history of the people of each area of the UK, so the \u2018Scottish have more right to be an ethnicity than the Welsh\u2019 is not based on any fact. They\u2019re both equally valid and share a national culture. It would be a stronger argument to put forward the notion that we could separate other areas of the UK with strong regional identities. But there is a balance between understanding specific groups, without being too broad or too specific in scope for ethnicity as a definition. What your question does point out though is that ethnicity is not a definition set in stone and it changes over time. We don\u2019t measure \u2018Roman\u2019, \u2018Viking\u2019, \u2018Norman\u2019, or similar given those identities are no longer current in the UK and over time blended into new forms of identity. Example definition: https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/9781118924396.wbiea1948","labels":0,"seconds_difference":167.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"ok7tmh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"What are the ethnic groups native to the British Isles? Are groups like \"Welsh\" and \"Scottish\" really ethnic groups? Take Welsh for example. If Welsh is an ethnicity, is an ethnic Welsh just someone born within the borders of Wales? Isn't that just a nationality? Normally ethnic groups are tied to a language, so in that case are ethnic Welsh just those left that still speak Welsh? Or is it people whose ancestors spoke Welsh (but that doesn't really work, since the ancestor of the Welsh language was once spoken all over England as well)? Scottish might work a bit better as an ethnicity - closely following the Scotland-England border is a strong change in language, from English to Scots, or Scots-influenced English. But in that case, are Gaelic-speakers a different ethnicity?","c_root_id_A":"h56nc5p","c_root_id_B":"h56dlns","created_at_utc_A":1626288159,"created_at_utc_B":1626283874,"score_A":20,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"So the distinction is fraught with generalizations regarding race and ethnicity, but here goes. The Welsh are often referred to as True Britons (Brittonic), who inhabitated Great Britain before the Roman Invasion. They are considered a subset of Celts, but also claim to descend from the Beaker (pre-Celtic) People of the British Isles (think Stonehenge builders). Despite Roman rule, these were still the common folk of the island. When the Romans left, the Angles and Saxons (Germanic) invaded, and took much of the island. These Germanic peoples pushed the Brittonic peoples back to Wales, Cromwell, and Southern Scotland or just incorporated them. Now we run into the question of being Scottish. The Scotti were a Gaelic tribe from Northern Ireland who settled in Central and Northern Scotland. So \"Scottish\" is actually the mix of the Lowland Scottish (Brittonic) and Highland Scottish (Gaelic). And the next question I bet you have is: Who were the Gaels? Well, they're ALSO a subset of Celts who developed on Ireland and the Isle of Man. So all in all, they are different cultures coming from similar Celtic stock. So at this point, we have discussed 3 groups of peoples on the British Isles; Brittonic, Gaelic, and Germanic. To make things fun, lets dive into the Viking Invasions. This adds Scandinavian blood to the mix, which one could argue isn't all that different from Germanic. They settled mostly in Northern and Eastern England, the Isle of Man, and Eastern Ireland. And finally, lets throw the Normans in, who were Scandinavians who had settled in France. William the Conqueror claimed some English lands due to some old family ties back to the Viking kings in England. So now, depending on what you consider \"ethnically\" similar enough to be considered 1 ethnicity, you have anywhere from 2 to, like, 10 different ethnicities on the British Isles. So it all depends on how you define \"ethnicity\". At what point did the Gaels become a differnet ethnicity from the Brittonic peoples? Were Normans different ethnically from the Scandinavian Vikings? If not, are Scandinavians ethnically different from Germanic peoples like the Angles and Saxons? How much blood does it take to take to be part of a culture? Is it purely cultural? How important is language? Religion? I'll let you tackle that one.","human_ref_B":"What your describing is a good example of the fact that race\/ethnicity is a social construct. Sure there may be some genetic similarities between two people who identify as welsh, but if someone who lives on the welsh side of the border and one on the english side share more genetic similarities than one person who lives on the welsh border and another who lives towards the coast, whose who? We cant make hard statements about who is what ethnicity or race. Because the lines are drawn from arbitrary rules. The Welsh are simply those who feel Welsh, i suppose","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4285.0,"score_ratio":2.2222222222} {"post_id":"qzz6x2","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.82,"history":"Why would mental disorders such as psychopathy, sociopathy and narcissism evolve if they are a detriment to the larger success of a tribe or society?","c_root_id_A":"hlsga7u","c_root_id_B":"hlru8eq","created_at_utc_A":1637688082,"created_at_utc_B":1637679102,"score_A":16,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"You're suggesting that mental illnesses are selected for . . . they're not, any more than are broken bones or coronary artery disease. Human cognition is a remarkably complex apparatus, so complex that it remains poorly understood in many ways great and small. Far from being surprised that \"things can go wrong\"-- its remarkable that it goes right so much of the time. Human sociobiological evolutionary pressures don't protect us against pathology any more than than it protects against glaucoma. \"Its as good as it can be, considering\". As just one example: most people can imagine things, but unless dreaming or in an altered state, do not hallucinate. That's a big deal. Very few people who are not profoundly mentally ill or in an altered state of consciousness, will hallucinate - though we all do while sleeping. So that's a pretty remarkable cognitive apparatus- one which is rigorously tuned enough to enable you to dream about your childhood pet in a way that seems very real, and yet to wake up and to understand that that pet has long since passed on to the great Dog Park in the sky. That's a remarkable level of cognitive organization, and its going to be typical of most adults; think of how complex it is. We can broadly distinguish between two distinct categories -- incapacitating mental illness, which isn't useful in any circumstances, and is ordinarily quite rare- and the much more commonly encountered personality traits which may be appealing and useful in some contexts and not in others. \"Narcissism\" for example, is often a component of social and political charisma, as a matter of degrees it can be energizing and useful to a group; defining it as necessarily and monotonically pathological is overly reductionist. Similarly, there's a continuum between diligence and obsessive compulsive behaviors; you'd prefer a surgeon who was a \"neat freak\", that's not a bad thing, it's a good one. So a lot of negative personality traits are simply dialed up versions of something that at least in some circumstances both the individual and the group they belong to will find useful and\/or appealing. A final note is that the human cognitive capacity grew remarkably quickly -- and that happened on the neurological substrate of a skull and brain that was dramatically reshaped in a relatively short period. Our brains and the cognitive apparatus in them aren't some clean sheet design; all sorts of quirks likely have their origins in evolutionary history. Robert Sapolsky at Stanford has a particular focus on the evolutionary history of neuroendocrinology and the consequent impact on human behavior, and some of its various idiosyncrasies. His popular book *\"Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst\"* \\2017\\] is a great introduction. For a more academic treatment, his [2011 Stanford lectures in Human Behavioral Biology are available online-- suitable for a scientifically literate audience and though ten years old are still very good.","human_ref_B":"Altruism \/Co-operation for the success of tribe or society is the harder thing to explain - selfishness is more likely to be selected for in nature generally. Co-operation above the level of kingroup harder to explain again. Hence the controversy about group selection. See the work of David Sloan Wilson.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":8980.0,"score_ratio":1.0666666667} {"post_id":"bzw1id","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Why did people migrate into inhospitable areas? Why did ancient peoples migrate into inhospitable areas? Why did they not just stop and congregate in more temperate zones? Prehistoric earth can't have been that crowded, what would cause people to move into the arctic circle for example?","c_root_id_A":"eqyyac9","c_root_id_B":"eqythkr","created_at_utc_A":1560391218,"created_at_utc_B":1560389153,"score_A":13,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"People go into hostile regions for all kinds of reasons. I've gone into some pretty odd ones, myself (hiking, Death Valley, summer). I was pretty sure I'd get back from it (and I did). Once people are in these environments (say, ice fishing up north during a long winter), they may go back again and again, as part time dwellers. As they work out a system for drying fish or trapping other food, they may stay. That's how we think successive generations of (different) people got into what is now Inuit territory. Temperate zones get crowded. Human strife and conflict is much more likely and many people prefer their wide open spaces. Let me ask you, Why do you think being in an overpopulated place with high levels of human-caused stress in a temperate zone, is preferable to, say, living in northern Alaska? People came down onto the US Plains states several times, stayed a few generations, or even less, then left again (or all died). People came to Wales 28,000BP and stayed only briefly, not to return (too damp? what?) It is true that certain areas were populated last. Rainforests (whether tropical or temperate) don't work for humans until we learn to farm (not much food on the forest floor - it's all up in the canopy, where the monkeys are having a field day). Deserts (which may sound inhospitable to you) were inhabited long before temperate or tropical rainforests were. Coastal areas everywhere, whether hot or cold, are populated before continental interiors. Australia was pretty inhospitable to early travelers, and yet we know they came - apparently with deliberation and a plan. Small tropical islands can be very inhospitable, but people left some other island and risked a lot to go to a new one. One could say that perhaps it's the same reason some of us move away from home, or out of our parents' houses. We want to. We want something different and new. For many early travelers, seeing something new and different was important. Some of them, obviously, stayed in the new place.","human_ref_B":"\"Inhospitable\" implies that they couldn't have lived there, which is obviously not true. They *did* live there. And they often thrived, and developed new, complex lifestyles to support their lives in the north. And this is the answer to \"why\". Because you move somewhere (or rather, your species plants roots) in areas where survival is comparably better. Your assumption about how \"crowded\" prehistoric earth was doesn't put into account the availability of easy hunting (which quickly becomes scarce when humans, the most efficient hunter of large game the world has ever seen, lives nearby for hundreds of years), nor does it consider very complex territorial claims that have been the source of mass displacement of refugees (often nomadic or impoverished peoples) many times in prehistory. Just because a semi-arid piece of land is productive and \"not crowded\" doesn't mean that the local kingdom isn't going to send their army into it to subjugate and terrorize the nomad population for whatever reason they feel like. From the perspective of prehistoric peoples who settled the north, the autonomy, scarcity of enemies, and relative abundance of game, were certainly important factors in their expansive migrations. Perhaps just as important was the fact that many of these peoples would have been chased away from more central areas after periodic waves of warlordism. Additionally, the cold may not have been as much of a concern (because they were pretty damn tough back then, and they had like... shelter, clothing, and fire, so NBD), and the end of the ice age meant that formerly desert like areas were lush with vegetation and migratory game.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2065.0,"score_ratio":1.4444444444} {"post_id":"o1f9ou","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"What is a \"gift economy?\" How does it work? I've read that it appears that in some primitive cultures it appears that there wasn't necessarily an idea of \"trade\" as we know it, but instead a gift economy. I've had a bit of a hard time finding good information on how exactly that works and how it differs from trade. From what I've read, some of the first evidence of possible trade was obsidian and flint, red ochre and possibly spices. I'm fascinated with how early humans got the idea that things in their environment had lasting value and were worth holding on to or getting their hands on somehow, even if they came to find that it came from contact with a distant tribe or traveler. What interests me is what were some of the first items that were of interest to early hominids or humans and what kind of social behavior, be it gift economy or trade came about such that these items changed hands. I'm curious if anyone has some insight or even just some introspection of their own on the matter.","c_root_id_A":"h21s74i","c_root_id_B":"h20ivi4","created_at_utc_A":1623901012,"created_at_utc_B":1623877528,"score_A":33,"score_B":19,"human_ref_A":"I am from Ecuador and here in the Andes it is pretty much alive, although it is not the center of the \u201cformal\u201d economy and most people are not really aware of it as a thing. We who know call it Ayni. It is basically a form of economy based on the principles of ecosystems. You thrive by making yourself useful. The more useful you are, the more the people around you will be willing to take care of you and provide you with what you need. That\u2019s all. But think on the implications. A society can work like this for all the essentials. You need a house, your people come and build it (communal work we call Minga). You need a pair of shoes, the shoemaker will give them to you. You just take what you need from the \u201ccommunal pool\u201d of resources and labor. Why? Because you contribute to it constantly. You can be a musician, a medicine person, an expert on plants; and you give your best to the collective. Nobody is really measuring the \u201cvalue\u201d of goods and services, because in real life value is subjective, it depends on the needs. (How valuable is a simple glass of water to a person dying of thirst?) But there is a general awareness of everyone\u2019s contribution. Lazyness and lying and not contributing are the worst things. Trade is relegated to those expensive things from outside of the community. Superficial things not essential for life. In Ecuador, all this is not taken into account when the Experts analyse the economy. Ayni is invisible to them, teachers at Harvard didn\u2019t tell them about it. But it\u2019s the reason why people are relatively well after years of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, pandemias and economic crisis caused by corrupt politicians. Nobody has ever died of hunger in Ecuador. There are almost no homeless people. We are poor in financial capital, but very rich in social capital. That\u2019s how we survive. It has been said that this was the original economy of all humankind, for tens of thousands of years. Then came slavery and exploitation and coin economy, starting only 5,000 years ago. And now most people cannot believe there can be a form of economy without money, trade and exploitation. Without someone losing in order for someone else to win. They call it primitive. I try to keep Ayni alive in my country and dream about humanity waking up from the current nightmare and remembering that we came here to create happiness for each other. That\u2019s the only economy that matters.","human_ref_B":"You need to read the book Marcel Mauss wrote called The Gift. It's short and small and all the answers you're seeking are explored in his theory\/anthropological survey. The first trade ever to be recorded was human beings actual bodies as labor and value as sex and as capital.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":23484.0,"score_ratio":1.7368421053} {"post_id":"o1f9ou","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"What is a \"gift economy?\" How does it work? I've read that it appears that in some primitive cultures it appears that there wasn't necessarily an idea of \"trade\" as we know it, but instead a gift economy. I've had a bit of a hard time finding good information on how exactly that works and how it differs from trade. From what I've read, some of the first evidence of possible trade was obsidian and flint, red ochre and possibly spices. I'm fascinated with how early humans got the idea that things in their environment had lasting value and were worth holding on to or getting their hands on somehow, even if they came to find that it came from contact with a distant tribe or traveler. What interests me is what were some of the first items that were of interest to early hominids or humans and what kind of social behavior, be it gift economy or trade came about such that these items changed hands. I'm curious if anyone has some insight or even just some introspection of their own on the matter.","c_root_id_A":"h21eyo2","c_root_id_B":"h21s74i","created_at_utc_A":1623893994,"created_at_utc_B":1623901012,"score_A":19,"score_B":33,"human_ref_A":"A gift economy is based on the idea of reciprocity....basically you get what you give and give you what you get. It is not even necessarily about the \"stuff\" as much as about building relationships of mutual obligation and interdependence with people, so you can get what you need to survive through both your own labour and the willing labour of others. It allows people to build a social safety net, a reliable network of people they can depend on, even if you are sick or injured or incapacitated in some way. FWIW some peoples see their relationship with land and resources as reciprocal relationship as well. Therefore they don't necessarily see land as property, but instead see their environment as one of mutual obligation, of give and take. Here is a short Youtube clip that explains the concept really succinctly.","human_ref_B":"I am from Ecuador and here in the Andes it is pretty much alive, although it is not the center of the \u201cformal\u201d economy and most people are not really aware of it as a thing. We who know call it Ayni. It is basically a form of economy based on the principles of ecosystems. You thrive by making yourself useful. The more useful you are, the more the people around you will be willing to take care of you and provide you with what you need. That\u2019s all. But think on the implications. A society can work like this for all the essentials. You need a house, your people come and build it (communal work we call Minga). You need a pair of shoes, the shoemaker will give them to you. You just take what you need from the \u201ccommunal pool\u201d of resources and labor. Why? Because you contribute to it constantly. You can be a musician, a medicine person, an expert on plants; and you give your best to the collective. Nobody is really measuring the \u201cvalue\u201d of goods and services, because in real life value is subjective, it depends on the needs. (How valuable is a simple glass of water to a person dying of thirst?) But there is a general awareness of everyone\u2019s contribution. Lazyness and lying and not contributing are the worst things. Trade is relegated to those expensive things from outside of the community. Superficial things not essential for life. In Ecuador, all this is not taken into account when the Experts analyse the economy. Ayni is invisible to them, teachers at Harvard didn\u2019t tell them about it. But it\u2019s the reason why people are relatively well after years of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, pandemias and economic crisis caused by corrupt politicians. Nobody has ever died of hunger in Ecuador. There are almost no homeless people. We are poor in financial capital, but very rich in social capital. That\u2019s how we survive. It has been said that this was the original economy of all humankind, for tens of thousands of years. Then came slavery and exploitation and coin economy, starting only 5,000 years ago. And now most people cannot believe there can be a form of economy without money, trade and exploitation. Without someone losing in order for someone else to win. They call it primitive. I try to keep Ayni alive in my country and dream about humanity waking up from the current nightmare and remembering that we came here to create happiness for each other. That\u2019s the only economy that matters.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7018.0,"score_ratio":1.7368421053} {"post_id":"o1f9ou","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"What is a \"gift economy?\" How does it work? I've read that it appears that in some primitive cultures it appears that there wasn't necessarily an idea of \"trade\" as we know it, but instead a gift economy. I've had a bit of a hard time finding good information on how exactly that works and how it differs from trade. From what I've read, some of the first evidence of possible trade was obsidian and flint, red ochre and possibly spices. I'm fascinated with how early humans got the idea that things in their environment had lasting value and were worth holding on to or getting their hands on somehow, even if they came to find that it came from contact with a distant tribe or traveler. What interests me is what were some of the first items that were of interest to early hominids or humans and what kind of social behavior, be it gift economy or trade came about such that these items changed hands. I'm curious if anyone has some insight or even just some introspection of their own on the matter.","c_root_id_A":"h20j96b","c_root_id_B":"h21s74i","created_at_utc_A":1623877700,"created_at_utc_B":1623901012,"score_A":14,"score_B":33,"human_ref_A":"From what I understood in my gifts and commodities course, a gift economy creates a relationship with the people participating in the exchange. While a trade is a relationship with *what* is being exchanged. So in a trade economy you might need spices, but it doesn't particularly matter who you get them from. While in a gift economy you exchange goods with another group, but it might not necessarily matter what is exchanged, but rather *who* you're exchanging it with. This was based using indigenous tribes as an example, not early humans. But I would imagine the premise to be the same.","human_ref_B":"I am from Ecuador and here in the Andes it is pretty much alive, although it is not the center of the \u201cformal\u201d economy and most people are not really aware of it as a thing. We who know call it Ayni. It is basically a form of economy based on the principles of ecosystems. You thrive by making yourself useful. The more useful you are, the more the people around you will be willing to take care of you and provide you with what you need. That\u2019s all. But think on the implications. A society can work like this for all the essentials. You need a house, your people come and build it (communal work we call Minga). You need a pair of shoes, the shoemaker will give them to you. You just take what you need from the \u201ccommunal pool\u201d of resources and labor. Why? Because you contribute to it constantly. You can be a musician, a medicine person, an expert on plants; and you give your best to the collective. Nobody is really measuring the \u201cvalue\u201d of goods and services, because in real life value is subjective, it depends on the needs. (How valuable is a simple glass of water to a person dying of thirst?) But there is a general awareness of everyone\u2019s contribution. Lazyness and lying and not contributing are the worst things. Trade is relegated to those expensive things from outside of the community. Superficial things not essential for life. In Ecuador, all this is not taken into account when the Experts analyse the economy. Ayni is invisible to them, teachers at Harvard didn\u2019t tell them about it. But it\u2019s the reason why people are relatively well after years of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, pandemias and economic crisis caused by corrupt politicians. Nobody has ever died of hunger in Ecuador. There are almost no homeless people. We are poor in financial capital, but very rich in social capital. That\u2019s how we survive. It has been said that this was the original economy of all humankind, for tens of thousands of years. Then came slavery and exploitation and coin economy, starting only 5,000 years ago. And now most people cannot believe there can be a form of economy without money, trade and exploitation. Without someone losing in order for someone else to win. They call it primitive. I try to keep Ayni alive in my country and dream about humanity waking up from the current nightmare and remembering that we came here to create happiness for each other. That\u2019s the only economy that matters.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":23312.0,"score_ratio":2.3571428571} {"post_id":"o1f9ou","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"What is a \"gift economy?\" How does it work? I've read that it appears that in some primitive cultures it appears that there wasn't necessarily an idea of \"trade\" as we know it, but instead a gift economy. I've had a bit of a hard time finding good information on how exactly that works and how it differs from trade. From what I've read, some of the first evidence of possible trade was obsidian and flint, red ochre and possibly spices. I'm fascinated with how early humans got the idea that things in their environment had lasting value and were worth holding on to or getting their hands on somehow, even if they came to find that it came from contact with a distant tribe or traveler. What interests me is what were some of the first items that were of interest to early hominids or humans and what kind of social behavior, be it gift economy or trade came about such that these items changed hands. I'm curious if anyone has some insight or even just some introspection of their own on the matter.","c_root_id_A":"h20j96b","c_root_id_B":"h21eyo2","created_at_utc_A":1623877700,"created_at_utc_B":1623893994,"score_A":14,"score_B":19,"human_ref_A":"From what I understood in my gifts and commodities course, a gift economy creates a relationship with the people participating in the exchange. While a trade is a relationship with *what* is being exchanged. So in a trade economy you might need spices, but it doesn't particularly matter who you get them from. While in a gift economy you exchange goods with another group, but it might not necessarily matter what is exchanged, but rather *who* you're exchanging it with. This was based using indigenous tribes as an example, not early humans. But I would imagine the premise to be the same.","human_ref_B":"A gift economy is based on the idea of reciprocity....basically you get what you give and give you what you get. It is not even necessarily about the \"stuff\" as much as about building relationships of mutual obligation and interdependence with people, so you can get what you need to survive through both your own labour and the willing labour of others. It allows people to build a social safety net, a reliable network of people they can depend on, even if you are sick or injured or incapacitated in some way. FWIW some peoples see their relationship with land and resources as reciprocal relationship as well. Therefore they don't necessarily see land as property, but instead see their environment as one of mutual obligation, of give and take. Here is a short Youtube clip that explains the concept really succinctly.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":16294.0,"score_ratio":1.3571428571} {"post_id":"o1f9ou","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"What is a \"gift economy?\" How does it work? I've read that it appears that in some primitive cultures it appears that there wasn't necessarily an idea of \"trade\" as we know it, but instead a gift economy. I've had a bit of a hard time finding good information on how exactly that works and how it differs from trade. From what I've read, some of the first evidence of possible trade was obsidian and flint, red ochre and possibly spices. I'm fascinated with how early humans got the idea that things in their environment had lasting value and were worth holding on to or getting their hands on somehow, even if they came to find that it came from contact with a distant tribe or traveler. What interests me is what were some of the first items that were of interest to early hominids or humans and what kind of social behavior, be it gift economy or trade came about such that these items changed hands. I'm curious if anyone has some insight or even just some introspection of their own on the matter.","c_root_id_A":"h22gcjl","c_root_id_B":"h22f4g5","created_at_utc_A":1623919266,"created_at_utc_B":1623918113,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"Gift economies based on reciprocity still exist alongside barter\/redistribution and market exchange and we practice it quite a lot, especailly with those close to us. Gifts have included everything from foodstuff to \"status items\" and are often exchanged between representatives of groups rather than individuals (households, villages, hunting teams etc.). In Marcel Mauss \"The Gift\" he brings up the classic anthropological example of the Kula ring (see Malinowski) where a gift economy centred on status items (necklaces and bracelets) also included more menial items and carried with it barter (gimwali). I also recommend reading a bit of Polanyi's \"the great transformation\" (also largely based on Malinowskis findings on teh Trobriand Islands) that brings up gift economies in relation to redistributive economies, hosueholding and market exchange.","human_ref_B":"This is most likely blasphemy (and doesn\u2019t really provide answers) but I couldn\u2019t help to mention it: The burning man event revolves at least partially around a form of gifting economy once inside the festival fence. Although quite far from what we could except from genuine practice in cultural and tribal context in many ways. It is fascinating to see it work to that extent quite naturally and presenting a glimpse of how the cogs click in a modern context with populations who did not even learn about it. Interestingly. The gifting part of the exchange is what pushes more people to do the same and fulfill the need of others by giving away as well. It snowballs from there in a form of positive feedback loop. Where giving first is what pushes others to reciprocate to strangers. This speaks loudly on how natural exchanging goods of subjective value is to us but also of our prosocial behaviour. Anyway that might not be giving you any real answers but I thought the anecdote in this wide scale present day experiment was worth the glimpse.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":1153.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"qd0f4g","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"How were so many things developed independently at about the same time in human history? Writing for example in \"Mesopotamia (between 3400 and 3100 BCE), Egypt (around 3250 BCE), China (1200 BCE), and lowland areas of Southern Mexico and Guatemala (by 500 BCE)\" per Wikipedia. Now I recognize these are over the course of four thousand years, but it just seems strange to me. Even our relatively short species is about 300k years old. So why did so many people figure it out independently at the same time? Basically in 1% of our time. Same thing with agriculture too I suppose.","c_root_id_A":"hhl4rpu","c_root_id_B":"hhkodns","created_at_utc_A":1634880638,"created_at_utc_B":1634871032,"score_A":26,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"The recently released *The Dawn of Everything* by the late anthropologist David Graeber and the archaeologist David Wengrow discusses a whole host of different issues in human pre-history and early history, many of which aren't directly related to this question. But in chapters 6 through 8 they discuss the origins of things like agriculture, cities, temples, literacy, etc. Note that though these phenomena were related to one another, their relationships were complex and varied from one place and time to another. There wasn't a single \"revolution\" in which agriculture, monumental architecture, cities, states, organized religion, writing, all arose at once. Nor was there a single, linear course of history, as societies often abandoned agriculture or cities to shift to other social structures and subsistence strategies. The beginnings of agriculture began after the last ice age receded 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene). Before the, according to Graeber and Wengrow, there was rarely a climate warm enough for growing crops to be an effective subsistence strategy in comparison to the others available - and even then it wasn't always very successful. But there is a range of several thousands of years between the first experiments in farming in places like Middle-Eastern river valleys and those of different regions and continents. So they weren't all that simultaneous. These first developments were not fully agricultural societies; people grew food but also hunted, gathered, and fished, and the process of domestication was drawn out over thousands of years, slower than it would have been if they had chosen to dedicate themselves entirely to the domestication of crops. But there is some more simultaneity to the development of large sedentary, urban societies - not synonymous with, but enabling the possibility of things like writing and bureaucracy. And Graeber and Wengrow attribute that to the beginnings of particular climatic\/ecological conditions around 7,000 years ago: >Ecological factors often played a role in the formation of cities, but in this particular case these would appear to be only obliquely related to the intensification of agriculture. Still, there are hints of a pattern. Across many parts of Eurasia, and in a few parts of the Americas, the appearance of cities follows quite closely on a secondary, post-Ice Age shuffling of the ecological pack which started around 5000 BC. At least two environmental changes were at work here. > >The first concerns rivers. At the beginning of the Holocene, the world\u2019s great rivers were mostly still wild and unpredictable. Then, around 7,000 years ago, flood regimes started changing, giving way to more settled routines. This is what created wide and highly fertile floodplains along the Yellow River, the Indus, the Tigris and other rivers that we associate with the first urban civilizations. Parallel to this, the melting of polar glaciers slowed down in the Middle Holocene to a point that allowed sea levels the world over to stabilize, at least to a greater degree than they ever had before. The combined effect of these two processes was dramatic; especially where great rivers met the open waters, depositing their seasonal loads of fertile silt faster than seawaters could push them back. This was the origin of those great fan-like deltas we see today at the head of the Mississippi, the Nile or the Euphrates, for instance. > >Comprising well-watered soils, annually sifted by river action, and rich wetland and waterside habitats favoured by migratory game and waterfowl, such deltaic environments were major attractors for human populations. Neolithic farmers gravitated to them, along with their crops and livestock. Hardly surprising, considering these were effectively scaled-up versions of the kind of river, spring and lakeside environments in which Neolithic horticulture first began, but with one other major difference: just over the horizon lay the open sea, and before it expansive marshlands supplying aquatic resources to buffer the risks of farming, as well as a perennial source of organic materials (reeds, fibres, silt) to support construction and manufacturing. > >All this, combined with the fertility of alluvial soils further inland, promoted the growth of more specialized forms of farming in Eurasia, including the use of animal-drawn ploughs (also adopted in Egypt by 3000 BC), and the breeding of sheep for wool. Extensive agriculture may thus have been an outcome, not a cause, of urbanization.","human_ref_B":"As far as I am reading agriculture in Mesopotamia and China developed around the same time about 8000 years ago give or take. Now, yield probably took time to evolve. And different species took longer or shorter to get to a point where that yield sustained a large population. And since different climates had different results for yield, the cultivation of different crops in Mesopotamia and China happened at different points. Your third example of the Americas is different because they were cut off from Mesopotamia and Asia after the land bridge was submerged. However, all of these societies had a tradition of gathering and mortaring grains when they were approximate to each other. In the Americas it took longer, I believe because corn took a lot longer to yield and took more ingenuity to cultivate. The answer is probably that technology evolved to a point that allowed for sedentary lifestyles and cultivation of grains came along with that OR cultivation of grains allowed sedentary lifestyles and this all happened within the last 20,000 years gradually for all groups. This was probably driven by climate change at the end of the last ice age. If you didn't have some supplement of and understanding of cereals and grains, your group wouldn't have survived.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":9606.0,"score_ratio":3.25} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmww7mo","c_root_id_B":"hmwfmvf","created_at_utc_A":1638437462,"created_at_utc_B":1638424877,"score_A":28,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"Welcome to the fascinating world of linguistic anthropology! It sounds to me like what you\u2019re discussing is language ideologies. Broadly speaking, this refers to the set of ideas and beliefs about language use that come to be shared to a greater or lesser extent by a community. These beliefs usually include some set of evaluative norms for language use that include\u2014among other things\u2014conventions about the appropriateness of one code (i.e., language or language variety) versus another depending on the social context. These beliefs about appropriate or correct language use are then frequently transformed into beliefs and attitudes about a language\u2019s speakers. For instance, if a culture values monolingualism, speakers whose behavior does not meet this expectation will be negatively evaluated. This stems from the fact that, first of all, the non-conforming individual is using a code that is not valued within that cultural frame. Second, that negative evaluation gets transposed onto the speaker themself. Under such a system, it\u2019s clear there will be behavioral effects in the given community. While most discussions of language ideology are grounded in a particular geopolitical context (e.g., the relationship between Catalan, Spanish, and their speakers in Catalonia), these could certainly be applied to the more abstract notions of monolingualism and multilingualism more generally.","human_ref_B":"I also think it's odd that you bring up the 'choice' of being multilingual or monolingual. There are about 7000 languages. So what about when you have a group of people where everyone is multilingual, but not in just the same 2 languages. Scenario 1. Two people both who speak both French and Italian. Someone who only speaks French is with them. They keep switching to Italian, and blame the \"mono\" for choosing to know only one language. Scenario 2. Same two people, capable of speaking French and Italian equally well, constantly switching to Italian. What if the third person is someone who can speak French and Vietnamese. They can't say \"Well it's your choice to be monolingual not bilingual like us!\" because the other person is also bilingual. I'd say in both cases the individuals who could be speaking French and including everyone but choose to speak Italian to exclude the French only speaker as well as the French-Vietnamese speaker are in the wrong. That being said, culturally, some people might at some times might have such high regard for their own language and so low regard for another language they are able to speak that they choose to be exclusionary. In my above example, an extremely proud person from Rome may view his language as so much better and pure than French that he just won't denegrate himself to let that trash come from his mouth as long as one other person can understand Italian, he's using that!!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":12585.0,"score_ratio":5.6} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmwkps1","c_root_id_B":"hmww7mo","created_at_utc_A":1638428248,"created_at_utc_B":1638437462,"score_A":7,"score_B":28,"human_ref_A":"I mean what is the difference between multilingual and monolingual cultures, if not just the extent of tolerance? No culture on its own develops branching languages, unless separated for long periods of time, across large distance. It's not a natural phenomenon on societal scales. Individually you may want to learn multiple languages that's your prerogative. If you want to talk about linguistic homogeneity or heterogeneity, that's a different thing. That refers to the extent of inclusivity and social harmony. Whichever party *demands* the other to adjust is less inclusive, more prideful, more entitled. If both parties are that way, the culture will be heterogeneous. If neither, it will be homogeneous. Now if only one party is demanding, and the other for some reason naturally acquiesces, what does that mean? That could be forced out of minority status, which is a power differential, or if it is voluntary, that would be quite extraordinary.","human_ref_B":"Welcome to the fascinating world of linguistic anthropology! It sounds to me like what you\u2019re discussing is language ideologies. Broadly speaking, this refers to the set of ideas and beliefs about language use that come to be shared to a greater or lesser extent by a community. These beliefs usually include some set of evaluative norms for language use that include\u2014among other things\u2014conventions about the appropriateness of one code (i.e., language or language variety) versus another depending on the social context. These beliefs about appropriate or correct language use are then frequently transformed into beliefs and attitudes about a language\u2019s speakers. For instance, if a culture values monolingualism, speakers whose behavior does not meet this expectation will be negatively evaluated. This stems from the fact that, first of all, the non-conforming individual is using a code that is not valued within that cultural frame. Second, that negative evaluation gets transposed onto the speaker themself. Under such a system, it\u2019s clear there will be behavioral effects in the given community. While most discussions of language ideology are grounded in a particular geopolitical context (e.g., the relationship between Catalan, Spanish, and their speakers in Catalonia), these could certainly be applied to the more abstract notions of monolingualism and multilingualism more generally.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9214.0,"score_ratio":4.0} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmww7mo","c_root_id_B":"hmww2b9","created_at_utc_A":1638437462,"created_at_utc_B":1638437336,"score_A":28,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Welcome to the fascinating world of linguistic anthropology! It sounds to me like what you\u2019re discussing is language ideologies. Broadly speaking, this refers to the set of ideas and beliefs about language use that come to be shared to a greater or lesser extent by a community. These beliefs usually include some set of evaluative norms for language use that include\u2014among other things\u2014conventions about the appropriateness of one code (i.e., language or language variety) versus another depending on the social context. These beliefs about appropriate or correct language use are then frequently transformed into beliefs and attitudes about a language\u2019s speakers. For instance, if a culture values monolingualism, speakers whose behavior does not meet this expectation will be negatively evaluated. This stems from the fact that, first of all, the non-conforming individual is using a code that is not valued within that cultural frame. Second, that negative evaluation gets transposed onto the speaker themself. Under such a system, it\u2019s clear there will be behavioral effects in the given community. While most discussions of language ideology are grounded in a particular geopolitical context (e.g., the relationship between Catalan, Spanish, and their speakers in Catalonia), these could certainly be applied to the more abstract notions of monolingualism and multilingualism more generally.","human_ref_B":"Monolingual cultures definitely have norms and values that favor monolingualism. E.g., code switching (switching between different languages or dialects) may be considered ugly, uneducated or impure (especially when the language has a low status). I think there\u2019s a belief that languages should be kept separate and pure, and that code switching (a practice pretty much every multilingual engages in) should be avoided. Also, until recently, it was believed (by many in the west), that growing up multilingual was detrimental to the child\u2019s development, that it was unhealthy. But of course it is more complicated than this: there are many, many speech communities in monolingual societies where code switching is the norm. Like someone already said, there are so many factors that play a role in language choice, that I don\u2019t think you can generalize and compare multilingual cultures to monolingual ones. Context, situation, attitudes to the other participants, status of the languages, what is being spoken about, competence in the languages, people present that are not part of the conversation etc. But I\u2019m no expert and I think you should ask in r\/asklinguistics","labels":1,"seconds_difference":126.0,"score_ratio":7.0} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmwf2gh","c_root_id_B":"hmww7mo","created_at_utc_A":1638424526,"created_at_utc_B":1638437462,"score_A":3,"score_B":28,"human_ref_A":"It's not just multilingual vs monolingual where this is observed A speaker can attempt to exclude a listener by lowering the volume of voice, using technical jargon, making very specific references that only a select few will understand (just like that time last year in Seattle) or speaking a different language. So who is 'in the wrong'? I look at as viewing what is normal. if you are speaking at a normal volume just out and about average everyday life, and one guy is hard of hearing, the person hard of hearing needs a hearing aid or to learn to read lips, etc. If you are purposefully whispering to exclude when there's no reason to whisper, that's purposefully exclusionary, and rude. If you are in a library, where whispering is reasonable, then it's not rude. I'd apply the same to language. Is the bilingual person using the language the other person doesn't understand to exclude them, or for some other utilitarian reason - example ordering food and\/or communicating with shopkeepers who might well speak both spanish and english, but you speak spanish to them because you think they will understand it better but the one person in your group doesn't speak it.","human_ref_B":"Welcome to the fascinating world of linguistic anthropology! It sounds to me like what you\u2019re discussing is language ideologies. Broadly speaking, this refers to the set of ideas and beliefs about language use that come to be shared to a greater or lesser extent by a community. These beliefs usually include some set of evaluative norms for language use that include\u2014among other things\u2014conventions about the appropriateness of one code (i.e., language or language variety) versus another depending on the social context. These beliefs about appropriate or correct language use are then frequently transformed into beliefs and attitudes about a language\u2019s speakers. For instance, if a culture values monolingualism, speakers whose behavior does not meet this expectation will be negatively evaluated. This stems from the fact that, first of all, the non-conforming individual is using a code that is not valued within that cultural frame. Second, that negative evaluation gets transposed onto the speaker themself. Under such a system, it\u2019s clear there will be behavioral effects in the given community. While most discussions of language ideology are grounded in a particular geopolitical context (e.g., the relationship between Catalan, Spanish, and their speakers in Catalonia), these could certainly be applied to the more abstract notions of monolingualism and multilingualism more generally.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":12936.0,"score_ratio":9.3333333333} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmwfmvf","c_root_id_B":"hmwkps1","created_at_utc_A":1638424877,"created_at_utc_B":1638428248,"score_A":5,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"I also think it's odd that you bring up the 'choice' of being multilingual or monolingual. There are about 7000 languages. So what about when you have a group of people where everyone is multilingual, but not in just the same 2 languages. Scenario 1. Two people both who speak both French and Italian. Someone who only speaks French is with them. They keep switching to Italian, and blame the \"mono\" for choosing to know only one language. Scenario 2. Same two people, capable of speaking French and Italian equally well, constantly switching to Italian. What if the third person is someone who can speak French and Vietnamese. They can't say \"Well it's your choice to be monolingual not bilingual like us!\" because the other person is also bilingual. I'd say in both cases the individuals who could be speaking French and including everyone but choose to speak Italian to exclude the French only speaker as well as the French-Vietnamese speaker are in the wrong. That being said, culturally, some people might at some times might have such high regard for their own language and so low regard for another language they are able to speak that they choose to be exclusionary. In my above example, an extremely proud person from Rome may view his language as so much better and pure than French that he just won't denegrate himself to let that trash come from his mouth as long as one other person can understand Italian, he's using that!!","human_ref_B":"I mean what is the difference between multilingual and monolingual cultures, if not just the extent of tolerance? No culture on its own develops branching languages, unless separated for long periods of time, across large distance. It's not a natural phenomenon on societal scales. Individually you may want to learn multiple languages that's your prerogative. If you want to talk about linguistic homogeneity or heterogeneity, that's a different thing. That refers to the extent of inclusivity and social harmony. Whichever party *demands* the other to adjust is less inclusive, more prideful, more entitled. If both parties are that way, the culture will be heterogeneous. If neither, it will be homogeneous. Now if only one party is demanding, and the other for some reason naturally acquiesces, what does that mean? That could be forced out of minority status, which is a power differential, or if it is voluntary, that would be quite extraordinary.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3371.0,"score_ratio":1.4} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmwf2gh","c_root_id_B":"hmwfmvf","created_at_utc_A":1638424526,"created_at_utc_B":1638424877,"score_A":3,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"It's not just multilingual vs monolingual where this is observed A speaker can attempt to exclude a listener by lowering the volume of voice, using technical jargon, making very specific references that only a select few will understand (just like that time last year in Seattle) or speaking a different language. So who is 'in the wrong'? I look at as viewing what is normal. if you are speaking at a normal volume just out and about average everyday life, and one guy is hard of hearing, the person hard of hearing needs a hearing aid or to learn to read lips, etc. If you are purposefully whispering to exclude when there's no reason to whisper, that's purposefully exclusionary, and rude. If you are in a library, where whispering is reasonable, then it's not rude. I'd apply the same to language. Is the bilingual person using the language the other person doesn't understand to exclude them, or for some other utilitarian reason - example ordering food and\/or communicating with shopkeepers who might well speak both spanish and english, but you speak spanish to them because you think they will understand it better but the one person in your group doesn't speak it.","human_ref_B":"I also think it's odd that you bring up the 'choice' of being multilingual or monolingual. There are about 7000 languages. So what about when you have a group of people where everyone is multilingual, but not in just the same 2 languages. Scenario 1. Two people both who speak both French and Italian. Someone who only speaks French is with them. They keep switching to Italian, and blame the \"mono\" for choosing to know only one language. Scenario 2. Same two people, capable of speaking French and Italian equally well, constantly switching to Italian. What if the third person is someone who can speak French and Vietnamese. They can't say \"Well it's your choice to be monolingual not bilingual like us!\" because the other person is also bilingual. I'd say in both cases the individuals who could be speaking French and including everyone but choose to speak Italian to exclude the French only speaker as well as the French-Vietnamese speaker are in the wrong. That being said, culturally, some people might at some times might have such high regard for their own language and so low regard for another language they are able to speak that they choose to be exclusionary. In my above example, an extremely proud person from Rome may view his language as so much better and pure than French that he just won't denegrate himself to let that trash come from his mouth as long as one other person can understand Italian, he's using that!!","labels":0,"seconds_difference":351.0,"score_ratio":1.6666666667} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmwf2gh","c_root_id_B":"hmwkps1","created_at_utc_A":1638424526,"created_at_utc_B":1638428248,"score_A":3,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"It's not just multilingual vs monolingual where this is observed A speaker can attempt to exclude a listener by lowering the volume of voice, using technical jargon, making very specific references that only a select few will understand (just like that time last year in Seattle) or speaking a different language. So who is 'in the wrong'? I look at as viewing what is normal. if you are speaking at a normal volume just out and about average everyday life, and one guy is hard of hearing, the person hard of hearing needs a hearing aid or to learn to read lips, etc. If you are purposefully whispering to exclude when there's no reason to whisper, that's purposefully exclusionary, and rude. If you are in a library, where whispering is reasonable, then it's not rude. I'd apply the same to language. Is the bilingual person using the language the other person doesn't understand to exclude them, or for some other utilitarian reason - example ordering food and\/or communicating with shopkeepers who might well speak both spanish and english, but you speak spanish to them because you think they will understand it better but the one person in your group doesn't speak it.","human_ref_B":"I mean what is the difference between multilingual and monolingual cultures, if not just the extent of tolerance? No culture on its own develops branching languages, unless separated for long periods of time, across large distance. It's not a natural phenomenon on societal scales. Individually you may want to learn multiple languages that's your prerogative. If you want to talk about linguistic homogeneity or heterogeneity, that's a different thing. That refers to the extent of inclusivity and social harmony. Whichever party *demands* the other to adjust is less inclusive, more prideful, more entitled. If both parties are that way, the culture will be heterogeneous. If neither, it will be homogeneous. Now if only one party is demanding, and the other for some reason naturally acquiesces, what does that mean? That could be forced out of minority status, which is a power differential, or if it is voluntary, that would be quite extraordinary.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3722.0,"score_ratio":2.3333333333} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmys1mw","c_root_id_B":"hmwf2gh","created_at_utc_A":1638471399,"created_at_utc_B":1638424526,"score_A":4,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"I have some anecdotal evidence: I've been multi-lingual most of my life and have found a small but decisive difference between other multilingual speakers and monolingual speakers. Multilingual speakers tend to be more patient and even curious when I switch or syncretize languages. I do the same for them. I don't take offense because I know what it's like to have family or friends who only speak the other language. Generally, I make allowances for my monolinguist (or sometime multi-linguists who don't have the same combo of languages as me) listeners and will translate or paraphrase what I've just said. But, oh boy, I can't tell you how many bosses I've worked with have thrown tantrums at employees who form \"language cliques.\" Of course, this always comes from insecure managers who hate to be out of the loop or think we are \"plotting\" against them. Some have outright BANNED the use of other languages but had to quickly backpaddle from the outcry. I think i understand both sides (when the excluded party isn't being unfairly authoritarian). We all hate the \"feeling of missing out,\" and it can come off as rude or insensitive to exclude someone who's barred from a conversation when everyone involved shares a \"lingua franca.\" At the same time, I've bonded with people I might little in common with because we both speak French or Spanish or a little sign language. I'm sorry if that sounded political or moralistic but i think the two subjects are intertwined. I prefer an eclectic view of subjects like this. This happens in every part of the world, though. Language politics are universal and probably go back to when the first language groups collided in pre-history. It might not be a question of morality but etiquette and... sympathy?","human_ref_B":"It's not just multilingual vs monolingual where this is observed A speaker can attempt to exclude a listener by lowering the volume of voice, using technical jargon, making very specific references that only a select few will understand (just like that time last year in Seattle) or speaking a different language. So who is 'in the wrong'? I look at as viewing what is normal. if you are speaking at a normal volume just out and about average everyday life, and one guy is hard of hearing, the person hard of hearing needs a hearing aid or to learn to read lips, etc. If you are purposefully whispering to exclude when there's no reason to whisper, that's purposefully exclusionary, and rude. If you are in a library, where whispering is reasonable, then it's not rude. I'd apply the same to language. Is the bilingual person using the language the other person doesn't understand to exclude them, or for some other utilitarian reason - example ordering food and\/or communicating with shopkeepers who might well speak both spanish and english, but you speak spanish to them because you think they will understand it better but the one person in your group doesn't speak it.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":46873.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"r6x6n9","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"Multilingualism and monolingualism as cultures? I got into an argument recently that suggested to my mind that multilingualism and monolingualism may be cultures or have cultures surrounding them that produce different etiquettes and values in their speakers. My thoughts were that monolingual cultures demand that multilingual speakers change their language use to accommodate monolingual speakers (including, say, when the latter are the minority in a conversation), and it is rude to 'exclude' monolinguals through language choice. Whereas multilingual cultures demand that monolingual speakers do their best to fit in with multilingual conversations, and it is rude to demand that others change or limit their language choice to suit oneself. Is there any substance to this whether in these terms or from a different angle? If so are there some interesting literatures to explore? I realise there's a political aspect to this, for example attitudes towards and of English speakers both in English-speaking countries and non-English speaking countries. I'm not trying to ask a political or moral question though, nor am I trying to use this thread to score any points for either 'team', just genuinely curious about the wider anthropological dimension around some of these experiences. Fwiw I have a social science background but am not an anthropologist. I also grew up\/live in a monolingual country but have lived in multilingual countries and am part of an extended family whose members split into three different first languages.","c_root_id_A":"hmwf2gh","c_root_id_B":"hmww2b9","created_at_utc_A":1638424526,"created_at_utc_B":1638437336,"score_A":3,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"It's not just multilingual vs monolingual where this is observed A speaker can attempt to exclude a listener by lowering the volume of voice, using technical jargon, making very specific references that only a select few will understand (just like that time last year in Seattle) or speaking a different language. So who is 'in the wrong'? I look at as viewing what is normal. if you are speaking at a normal volume just out and about average everyday life, and one guy is hard of hearing, the person hard of hearing needs a hearing aid or to learn to read lips, etc. If you are purposefully whispering to exclude when there's no reason to whisper, that's purposefully exclusionary, and rude. If you are in a library, where whispering is reasonable, then it's not rude. I'd apply the same to language. Is the bilingual person using the language the other person doesn't understand to exclude them, or for some other utilitarian reason - example ordering food and\/or communicating with shopkeepers who might well speak both spanish and english, but you speak spanish to them because you think they will understand it better but the one person in your group doesn't speak it.","human_ref_B":"Monolingual cultures definitely have norms and values that favor monolingualism. E.g., code switching (switching between different languages or dialects) may be considered ugly, uneducated or impure (especially when the language has a low status). I think there\u2019s a belief that languages should be kept separate and pure, and that code switching (a practice pretty much every multilingual engages in) should be avoided. Also, until recently, it was believed (by many in the west), that growing up multilingual was detrimental to the child\u2019s development, that it was unhealthy. But of course it is more complicated than this: there are many, many speech communities in monolingual societies where code switching is the norm. Like someone already said, there are so many factors that play a role in language choice, that I don\u2019t think you can generalize and compare multilingual cultures to monolingual ones. Context, situation, attitudes to the other participants, status of the languages, what is being spoken about, competence in the languages, people present that are not part of the conversation etc. But I\u2019m no expert and I think you should ask in r\/asklinguistics","labels":0,"seconds_difference":12810.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"tr0omp","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"What is the difference between paleoanthropology and bioarchaeology?","c_root_id_A":"i2ksdo8","c_root_id_B":"i2kfdva","created_at_utc_A":1648568799,"created_at_utc_B":1648563613,"score_A":16,"score_B":13,"human_ref_A":"Paleoanthropology is the anthropology of the (bio-cultural) evolution of hominins, including during the Paleolithic. It is not solely hominin remains. It includes hominin remains, artefacts, ecofacts, the wider Paleo \"context,\" etc. My doctorate is in Anthropology. My subfield is archaeology. My specialty is stone tools of the Paleolithic. So I count myself as a Paleoanthropologist, an Archaeologist, an Anthropologist, a Lithic Technologist, and maybe other things... So many different specialists come into play in studying the evolution of hominins via the fossil record and the archaoelogical record. These include Physical\/Biological Anthropologists who are focused on the fossil hominin record or PaleoDNA, lithic archaeologists studying the stone tool record, faunal archaeologists studying remains of animals eaten as well as other animals found at a site, archaeologists who specialize in other materials, such as bone tools, \"art,\" plant remains (including Paleoethnobotany), etc. There are also other contributing disciplines, such as Paleontology, climate\/environmental reconstruction, Soil Scientists, Geoarchaeologists, etc. So Paleoanthropology is about how humans became (=evolved into) humans (and studying other hominin lineages, even if they didn't become \"anatomically\/behaviorally modern humans\") after the split with our Chimpanzee Last Common Ancestor, and it involves many different disciplines and lines of evidence.","human_ref_B":"Paleoanthropology is interested in human (or hominin) remains in an evolutionary context. Bioarchaeology is interested in human remains in an archaeological context. Archaeologists are concerned with the lives of past peoples, paleoanthropologists are interested in evolutionary trends.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5186.0,"score_ratio":1.2307692308} {"post_id":"tr0omp","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"What is the difference between paleoanthropology and bioarchaeology?","c_root_id_A":"i2ksdo8","c_root_id_B":"i2kf2ua","created_at_utc_A":1648568799,"created_at_utc_B":1648563485,"score_A":16,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Paleoanthropology is the anthropology of the (bio-cultural) evolution of hominins, including during the Paleolithic. It is not solely hominin remains. It includes hominin remains, artefacts, ecofacts, the wider Paleo \"context,\" etc. My doctorate is in Anthropology. My subfield is archaeology. My specialty is stone tools of the Paleolithic. So I count myself as a Paleoanthropologist, an Archaeologist, an Anthropologist, a Lithic Technologist, and maybe other things... So many different specialists come into play in studying the evolution of hominins via the fossil record and the archaoelogical record. These include Physical\/Biological Anthropologists who are focused on the fossil hominin record or PaleoDNA, lithic archaeologists studying the stone tool record, faunal archaeologists studying remains of animals eaten as well as other animals found at a site, archaeologists who specialize in other materials, such as bone tools, \"art,\" plant remains (including Paleoethnobotany), etc. There are also other contributing disciplines, such as Paleontology, climate\/environmental reconstruction, Soil Scientists, Geoarchaeologists, etc. So Paleoanthropology is about how humans became (=evolved into) humans (and studying other hominin lineages, even if they didn't become \"anatomically\/behaviorally modern humans\") after the split with our Chimpanzee Last Common Ancestor, and it involves many different disciplines and lines of evidence.","human_ref_B":"Paleo is concerned with things in the paleolithic. Bioarchaeology is concerned with biological materials from the dawn of man to now. They don't have much overlap apart from that you can be someone who specialises in biological materials in the paleolithic.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5314.0,"score_ratio":4.0} {"post_id":"tr0omp","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"What is the difference between paleoanthropology and bioarchaeology?","c_root_id_A":"i2kfdva","c_root_id_B":"i2kf2ua","created_at_utc_A":1648563613,"created_at_utc_B":1648563485,"score_A":13,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Paleoanthropology is interested in human (or hominin) remains in an evolutionary context. Bioarchaeology is interested in human remains in an archaeological context. Archaeologists are concerned with the lives of past peoples, paleoanthropologists are interested in evolutionary trends.","human_ref_B":"Paleo is concerned with things in the paleolithic. Bioarchaeology is concerned with biological materials from the dawn of man to now. They don't have much overlap apart from that you can be someone who specialises in biological materials in the paleolithic.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":128.0,"score_ratio":3.25} {"post_id":"397cb6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.83,"history":"Can someone identify the symbols etched onto this artifact? Pictured Here My sister's friend's father has collected a lot of different things from all around, so we have no idea what the origin of it is. I don't have access to the actual artifact, but she told me that it's about 4 inches tall, about 1.5 inches wide, and about a third of an inch thick. She also said it feels like it's made out of a hard stone like marble or granite. I tried to google for examples of writing symbols that used pictograms (Egyptian, Meso-American) but wasn't able to find anything that matched.","c_root_id_A":"cs14q7f","c_root_id_B":"cs19fjz","created_at_utc_A":1433889997,"created_at_utc_B":1433898527,"score_A":2,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"Aren't those hanzi\/kanji\/hanja?","human_ref_B":"Looks similar to Da-Zhuan to me (Ancient Chinese, circa 200 BC) http:\/\/rutchem.rutgers.edu\/~kyc\/Images\/Picture16.gif http:\/\/rutchem.rutgers.edu\/~kyc\/ChineseLearn.html Edit: I'd also expect the material to be jade of some sort (which it does appear to be), if it were Da-Zhuan. Here's a better image search on google that seems to confirm my suspicion: https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=%E5%A4%A7%E7%AF%86&espv=2&biw=1318&bih=986&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMImN-hw_iDxgIViFuSCh3Z9QCX","labels":0,"seconds_difference":8530.0,"score_ratio":3.5} {"post_id":"yu3v3r","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"How egalitarian were hunter gatherer and tribal societies? I spoke to an anarcho primitivist and she told me that humans are hardwired to be egalitarian and it's natural for us to be altruistic and equal because she said all tribes and societies were equal and egalitarian. And said something about progress and stuff and that high level complex communities and societies are unnatural and against our nature. So were all human societies back then before let's say agricultural societies arose egalitarian? And how egalitarian were they?","c_root_id_A":"iw81ufn","c_root_id_B":"iw7fulv","created_at_utc_A":1668362332,"created_at_utc_B":1668353244,"score_A":118,"score_B":29,"human_ref_A":"Instead of debating the point, I would ask your friend to dig more deeply into what she means by \"natural.\" Does she mean biological? Because if so, if humans are capable of a behavior, then it is a natural behavior. If it was not biologically possible it would not happen. If natural does not mean biological, then what does it mean? God given? I bet your friend doesn't believe in God creating a list of acceptable behaviors that we all have to follow. So then what do we mean by natural? I am guessing what she means is that humans have created social systems that cause suffering for large numbers of people, and that that feels so wrong to her, that she wants to label it \"unnatural.\" I completely understand that feeling and if I am honest I am also drawn to the idea that humans have created an \"unnatural\" world. But if I take a step back and think like a social scientist, I realize that the term \"natural\" is just not defined in any way we can measure. We have to stop looking at the past in order to prove that our way of thinking about the best kind of social organization is more objectively supported than someone else's. That is terrible science. The truth is that based on all the evidence we have from history and archaeology, humans are capable of creating unequal societies with high levels of suffering for oppressed groups. We are also capable of creating unequal societies with low levels of suffering for oppressed groups, and more egalitarian societies where suffering is more or less equally shared. There is no perfectly egalitarian society (gender and age have always shaped people's status and relationship to the group), but there are societies where everyone gets their basic needs for food, shelter, clothing and companionship met, and where everyone does useful labor and is seen as fully human. But even in those more egalitarian societies people may be cast out and rejected if they are seen to be harmful enough to the group. I would recommend the book The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow to your friend. While not a definitive statement of the truth about human history, it does contain lots of good data on the periods just before and during the development of agriculture. It raised many interesting questions about whether long standing assumptions of egalitarianism and inequality are supported by the data.","human_ref_B":"Egalitarianism does not necessarily mean \"equal.\" Our species is gregarious. We exhibit a relatively high degree of cooperation. However, some anthropologists posit the dual inheritance of biology and culture as an explanatory mechanism. https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2781880\/?source=post_page--------------------------- https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/10.1086\/668207#metadata_info_tab_contents Much of the literature emphasizes the cultural dimension such that claims of \"hardwired\" equality appear more ideologically slanted than descriptive.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":9088.0,"score_ratio":4.0689655172} {"post_id":"p0upky","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"As anthropologists, which sociological book\/author would you ardently recommend ?","c_root_id_A":"h89hfaj","c_root_id_B":"h89h97g","created_at_utc_A":1628495791,"created_at_utc_B":1628495638,"score_A":29,"score_B":20,"human_ref_A":"It\u2019s a niche subject but Jeanne Favret-Saada\u2019s book about practice of witchcraft is one of my favourite sociological book to me. She studies the practices in a rural french village, in 1960\u2019s, and explains what it means to cast a spell and how to break it","human_ref_B":"Best book I've read this year was Anthony Giddens Constitution of Society. His concept of structuration alone is indispensable to imagining how the concepts of individuals and institutions relate to one another.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":153.0,"score_ratio":1.45} {"post_id":"p0upky","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"As anthropologists, which sociological book\/author would you ardently recommend ?","c_root_id_A":"h8bd0pk","c_root_id_B":"h8cg2z9","created_at_utc_A":1628533661,"created_at_utc_B":1628550745,"score_A":3,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"American Nations: a history of the 11 rival regional cultures of North America by Colin Woodard. America is not one nation indivisible. It never was. This book brilliantly illustrated just how different the settlers of different geographical regions were and still are from one another. The book purported to be a history of cultural practices, and succeeds","human_ref_B":"*What It Awl Means* by Janet Spector. It is a short, very poignant book, about challenging gender normative social roles, that embedded in archaeology and ethnographic research.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":17084.0,"score_ratio":1.6666666667} {"post_id":"3ve3r6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.83,"history":"Why do some cultures seem more oriented towards clans while others have changed to emphasize individualism? Why have some countries such as those in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa retained clannish adherence while others like Europeans and Americans are more individualistic? Foregoing political correctness and sticking strictly to Darwin's criteria, would individualistic cultures be considered more evolved or higher up on the hierarchy?","c_root_id_A":"cxmu8fv","c_root_id_B":"cxn3nrw","created_at_utc_A":1449231493,"created_at_utc_B":1449249474,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"I somewhere read in an article that it may root in what kind of agriculture those people practice(d). I went something like they're more individualistic when relying on wheat and such crops and organised in clans when growing rice etc. Actually I can't remember why I should be because of that and I forgot all about the article expect this bit. I'll have to take a look, maybe I can't find it.","human_ref_B":"In addition to the concepts of more-evolved or less-evolved culture being subjective, I would argue it is also not a binary or discreet variable at all. It is, like so many things in nature, best viewed on a multitude of continuums. Same thing with individualistic vs. clannish. Not only are there 1,000,000 different possibilities, but hybrids and things in between. Some societies' idea of holding the greater good above the individual is pursuing the family's interests above an individual's, some a tribe or village or commune, some a whole nation of people comes first. So even within those descriptions there is a lot of room for interpretation and projection of one's own values. Also, the** concept of unilinear evolution is reviled by all the coolest anthropologists**. Like Kurt Vonnegut...I assume. Poor example, but my metro ride is over soon so...e.g. USA--if there even is a single U.S. American culture, one aspect it has is a purported value for individual liberty. Indonesia--would be an example of what you referred to as more clannish. But Italy? Western country. North is more individualistic. South quite clannish. But they are more like each other than the paragons of the two descriptions of more individually-focused and community-focused societies, USA and Indonesia. Just look at it all with the notion that you perceive in your own singularly biased way, and use the advantages to your betterment and mitigate the effects and affects of bad bias. Don't waste the brain space with such trivialities as who is better or worse overall because you can't know. Only Lord Bloodraven knows. If you are curious enough to be asking questions like that though, the memory will likely prove precious.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":17981.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"3ve3r6","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.83,"history":"Why do some cultures seem more oriented towards clans while others have changed to emphasize individualism? Why have some countries such as those in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa retained clannish adherence while others like Europeans and Americans are more individualistic? Foregoing political correctness and sticking strictly to Darwin's criteria, would individualistic cultures be considered more evolved or higher up on the hierarchy?","c_root_id_A":"cxmxbwt","c_root_id_B":"cxn3nrw","created_at_utc_A":1449239446,"created_at_utc_B":1449249474,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Perhaps I can offer a few explanations other than social Darwinism which has caused this trend. I'd like to say that I'm by no means an expert, I've just completed my undergraduate degree, but this topic has been touched on in a number of different classes. I also don't have any sources with me, they're all in the recycling bin of freedom, but I can search through my uni online library if need be. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, families in Europe in the lower classes would live in similar arrangements to the 'clannish' arrangements you mention - by which I presume you mean large, extended families living together and maintaining strong connections with a wide net of family (correct me if I'm wrong). With the Industrial Revolution came significant changes in the structure of work and economic life in Europe, and over time changes have occurred which have lead to more individualistic societies. Cities became the centre of life as that was where the work was, and families would spend more time apart as they spent generally more time away from the home at separate workplaces. As time goes on families get smaller and it becomes commonplace for women not to work. The rise in production makes goods, services and disposable income more readily available, meaning people are able to indulge more in their own wishes. People increasingly live in a world of social mobility and career choice, etc., and eventually the nuclear family becomes the norm. Increases in resources and advances in technology mean that we rely on one another less and less, to the point that today one person can survive on their own. There is also an ideological shift in philosophy around the 19th century (I can't for the life of me remember names or proper dates - I never could - if anyone wants I can dig them up!) which places emphasis on the individual, and the 'self' is examined more closely than before. Ideologically, shifts towards secularism have also had an influence. It is important to note that just because other cultures haven't embraced individualism the way that we do in the West in no way implies that they are backwards or less evolved. Their values are different, as are their social, economic and political structures, and their history. Living within wide family nets has a large number of benefits in societies where institutions such as education, child care, health care and care for the elderly may not be so readily available. If your child is sick and you cannot afford to get off work it is extremely useful to have lots of people who might be able to care for them. And where do the elderly live in places where pensions are less reliable and other facilities scarce? If government and NGO institutions are not available for people to use they must do the service themselves, and large families are excellent service providers. I hope that clears up a bit about how different societies can have such different social structures and values, and why social Darwinism most certainly isn't the answer :)","human_ref_B":"In addition to the concepts of more-evolved or less-evolved culture being subjective, I would argue it is also not a binary or discreet variable at all. It is, like so many things in nature, best viewed on a multitude of continuums. Same thing with individualistic vs. clannish. Not only are there 1,000,000 different possibilities, but hybrids and things in between. Some societies' idea of holding the greater good above the individual is pursuing the family's interests above an individual's, some a tribe or village or commune, some a whole nation of people comes first. So even within those descriptions there is a lot of room for interpretation and projection of one's own values. Also, the** concept of unilinear evolution is reviled by all the coolest anthropologists**. Like Kurt Vonnegut...I assume. Poor example, but my metro ride is over soon so...e.g. USA--if there even is a single U.S. American culture, one aspect it has is a purported value for individual liberty. Indonesia--would be an example of what you referred to as more clannish. But Italy? Western country. North is more individualistic. South quite clannish. But they are more like each other than the paragons of the two descriptions of more individually-focused and community-focused societies, USA and Indonesia. Just look at it all with the notion that you perceive in your own singularly biased way, and use the advantages to your betterment and mitigate the effects and affects of bad bias. Don't waste the brain space with such trivialities as who is better or worse overall because you can't know. Only Lord Bloodraven knows. If you are curious enough to be asking questions like that though, the memory will likely prove precious.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":10028.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"73kaql","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"Were there any native America tribes that built chimneys in their dwellings--or attempted to do so? (My understanding is that they did not have chimneys). Pursuant to a recognition that breathing in smoke from fires inside dwellings was harmful and that simply putting a hole in the center of the roof was inadequate. I believe two of the primary tribal groupings that had large, longhouse type structures (large enough for 10-15 people and fairly long-lasting) were the Iroquois and tribes of the Pacific Northwest. These structures might have been suitable for a chimney at one end. link to primitive chimney built by European settlers (in America). http:\/\/farmhandscompanion.com\/how_did_they_used_to_do_that_files\/688a0bad3b352f0655e27545078e545a-7.html","c_root_id_A":"dnrhgj2","c_root_id_B":"dnrej9j","created_at_utc_A":1506879143,"created_at_utc_B":1506875838,"score_A":6,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"tipi construction is all about getting the two smoke flaps right. these days you can use tin cans for your air tunnel to the firepit. i don't know what was traditionally used. i have been to hopi-type kivas at 4 corners, but i forget what the chimney arrangements were.","human_ref_B":"Not an anthropologist, but there was an old Paiute dwelling that had a chimney near where I grew up.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":3305.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"1gyzqq","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Indians - Descendants of Indo-Europeans, IVC evacuees, Dravidians, or all of the above? (X-post from \/r\/AskHistorians) (Crossposting from \/r\/AskHistorians) Last week I was posting on a thread in \/r\/india that brought up the old politically charged debate (at least in India) about 'Aryans vs Dravidians', how fair-skinned Indo-europeans subjugated and overpowered dark-skinned natives, enforcing a caste system that placed them at the lowest tier, imposing their language and religion on them, among other things. I read up on the subject to supplement my little knowledge on the subject until I knew enough to comment (rant more like, one can read it here http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/india\/comments\/1gg1cj\/dark_complexioned_gods_aryans_and_hinduism\/) but I found that even after all that I read there were still many holes in whatever I had looked up. I gathered that a gradual migration of Indo-europeans into the area was met with the gradual migration of IVC peoples, and they both amalgamated and settled in the Ganges plains and surroundings. Questions like these have been asked before (vis a vis 'Indo-european migration \/ Aryan Invasion Hypothesis') and so on, but I still haven't found a definitive answer - is that the case with Historians \/ Anthropologists everywhere? No one has a definitive answer? Who are the modern Indians descended from? How different are the cultural majority of North Indians from South Indians ('Dravidians')? Did Vedic culture come out of the ex-IVC peoples, or was it solely the migrating Indo-europeans, or was it an syncretic mix of these two, the natives of North India, with a good dose of Indo-Iranian and what not?","c_root_id_A":"capdnsc","c_root_id_B":"caq0gtl","created_at_utc_A":1372105284,"created_at_utc_B":1372184746,"score_A":4,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"I love the topic of India. There are notable neolithic sites in India, eg. Kerala, a culture contemporaneous to the Indus Valley Civilization, traded spice in the Red Sea. Perhaps some confusion comes from the widespread Indo-Aryan language family, which finds its roots in Vedic Sanskrit, and is still in use today by millions of people. On a related note, here's a list of languages by first written account. My view would be that the IVC, as Indo-European speakers, left the Indus River to move along the Ganges to the delta, situated in modern Bangladesh. This migration route covers northern India and would likely result in the diffusion of Sanskrit language and the Vedic acculturation of indigenous peoples by way of Hinduism. I think it is obvious that modern day Indians are a mix of Aryan and Dravidian, however I had never seriously considered the caste system as a way to determine genealogy! Thanks.","human_ref_B":"Well for some reason Reddit keeps giving me an error so I'm going to post this in two sections to see if that works. Maybe I'm just too wordy! This is definitely a touchy subject. Caste and divides between North and South means not only the social status and occupational position that you are born into but your potential marriage pool as well. This would suggest that due to social reasons groups might remain separate genetic populations even when living in the same region. The problem, of course, is that not everyone stays cleanly within their caste when they marry. Hypergamy (marrying up) is quite common for women. Even if you're only marrying slightly up (remember there are many sub-castes within the larger 4 casts plus untouchable group) over a few generations if each daughter marries up you can get those genes into a new caste. And prior to the arrival of the British the caste system was not nearly as formalized or rigid. However, this doesn't stop people from claiming the importance of genetic heritage and the importance of their heritage being distinct and set apart from others. We can see the same thing going on in European royal bloodline debates, for example. There have been a lot of studies on the genetics of the huge range of culturally diverse communities in India. For example, here is one specifically about the Chenchus and Koyas. It is important to remember that there are over 300 distinct tribal groups in India many with their own languages or dialects. Due in part to simplification for explaining things in intro type courses and the Hindu nationalism within India we sometimes think of India as relatively homogeneous. But there are huge ranges of religion, language, foodways, house types, art forms, and genetics. However, an important point from in the study I just linked is, **\"Studies based on mtDNA have shown that, among Indians, the basic clustering of lineages is not language- or caste-specific.\"** It goes on to say that the population separations that are noted seem to be fairly recent, which makes sense given the historical data we have. This study might be a good one to dispute arguments about how those cultural barriers play out in reality when it comes to sharing genes. But more to your point about the Aryan-Dravidian divide, there is little genetic evidence. In fact, the genetic evidence suggests it is a load of bs. In fact, Brahmins do not have Central Asian genetic markers that you'd expect if this story line were true. And all Indians seem to show the same genetic ancestry with no sudden influx of genes around 3500 years ago when this supposedly happened.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":79462.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62g82o","c_root_id_B":"e62m0gw","created_at_utc_A":1537094090,"created_at_utc_B":1537104411,"score_A":38,"score_B":43,"human_ref_A":"I know this is an anthropology subredit, but I given a chance, I would choose something around year 4000 in the future.","human_ref_B":"AD 700 so writing my thesis would be easier lol","labels":0,"seconds_difference":10321.0,"score_ratio":1.1315789474} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62m0gw","c_root_id_B":"e62h7h0","created_at_utc_A":1537104411,"created_at_utc_B":1537096388,"score_A":43,"score_B":20,"human_ref_A":"AD 700 so writing my thesis would be easier lol","human_ref_B":"1490\\. I'm just so curious about the people living in the Amazon at that time.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":8023.0,"score_ratio":2.15} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62gh0l","c_root_id_B":"e62m0gw","created_at_utc_A":1537094686,"created_at_utc_B":1537104411,"score_A":17,"score_B":43,"human_ref_A":"Prob a 90s Pepsi commercial","human_ref_B":"AD 700 so writing my thesis would be easier lol","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9725.0,"score_ratio":2.5294117647} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62mffw","c_root_id_B":"e62w0wz","created_at_utc_A":1537104934,"created_at_utc_B":1537115026,"score_A":24,"score_B":29,"human_ref_A":"The late Bronze Age in the Mediterranean.","human_ref_B":"The Americas...Pre-European contact with the Native Americans. I'm just a casual anthropology student but I feel there are important unanswered questions about the native cultures since most of the population was wiped out by disease and devalued by the Euro settlers.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":10092.0,"score_ratio":1.2083333333} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62h7h0","c_root_id_B":"e62w0wz","created_at_utc_A":1537096388,"created_at_utc_B":1537115026,"score_A":20,"score_B":29,"human_ref_A":"1490\\. I'm just so curious about the people living in the Amazon at that time.","human_ref_B":"The Americas...Pre-European contact with the Native Americans. I'm just a casual anthropology student but I feel there are important unanswered questions about the native cultures since most of the population was wiped out by disease and devalued by the Euro settlers.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":18638.0,"score_ratio":1.45} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62gh0l","c_root_id_B":"e62w0wz","created_at_utc_A":1537094686,"created_at_utc_B":1537115026,"score_A":17,"score_B":29,"human_ref_A":"Prob a 90s Pepsi commercial","human_ref_B":"The Americas...Pre-European contact with the Native Americans. I'm just a casual anthropology student but I feel there are important unanswered questions about the native cultures since most of the population was wiped out by disease and devalued by the Euro settlers.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":20340.0,"score_ratio":1.7058823529} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62w0wz","c_root_id_B":"e62pzsh","created_at_utc_A":1537115026,"created_at_utc_B":1537109107,"score_A":29,"score_B":16,"human_ref_A":"The Americas...Pre-European contact with the Native Americans. I'm just a casual anthropology student but I feel there are important unanswered questions about the native cultures since most of the population was wiped out by disease and devalued by the Euro settlers.","human_ref_B":"Probably about 80-100 k BCE. Just the opportunity to glean any more info would be to tempting to pass up.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5919.0,"score_ratio":1.8125} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62h7h0","c_root_id_B":"e62mffw","created_at_utc_A":1537096388,"created_at_utc_B":1537104934,"score_A":20,"score_B":24,"human_ref_A":"1490\\. I'm just so curious about the people living in the Amazon at that time.","human_ref_B":"The late Bronze Age in the Mediterranean.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":8546.0,"score_ratio":1.2} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62mffw","c_root_id_B":"e62gh0l","created_at_utc_A":1537104934,"created_at_utc_B":1537094686,"score_A":24,"score_B":17,"human_ref_A":"The late Bronze Age in the Mediterranean.","human_ref_B":"Prob a 90s Pepsi commercial","labels":1,"seconds_difference":10248.0,"score_ratio":1.4117647059} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e62h7h0","c_root_id_B":"e62gh0l","created_at_utc_A":1537096388,"created_at_utc_B":1537094686,"score_A":20,"score_B":17,"human_ref_A":"1490\\. I'm just so curious about the people living in the Amazon at that time.","human_ref_B":"Prob a 90s Pepsi commercial","labels":1,"seconds_difference":1702.0,"score_ratio":1.1764705882} {"post_id":"9g8y97","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"If you could get a snapshot of human culture at a single period of time, which century would you choose? I think I would choose 30,000 years ago.","c_root_id_A":"e63kkx7","c_root_id_B":"e63yl3g","created_at_utc_A":1537135521,"created_at_utc_B":1537149047,"score_A":3,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"The first one, wherever and whenever, to realize the idea of \"I\".","human_ref_B":"Not an anthropologist, and not sure if this counts as \"culture\", but I'd love to see humans and Neanderthals and\/or Denisovans interacting.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":13526.0,"score_ratio":1.6666666667} {"post_id":"5rmahr","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.96,"history":"What is a reproductive bottleneck (based on Y chromosome sequencing) ? How is it possible that between 8,000 and 4,000 years ago, the effective breeding population of women was 17 times that of men. I read this in a serious anthropology article, but am not myself an anthropologist. By breeding population, I assume one means between the age of 12 and 50? I assume that Y chromosome sampling is a way to determine if a bone fragment (or other type of fragment) comes from a male. thanks very much in advance for your time and help.","c_root_id_A":"dd8x040","c_root_id_B":"dd92vrm","created_at_utc_A":1486062902,"created_at_utc_B":1486069450,"score_A":2,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"could you link the article? Please.","human_ref_B":"The article you are referring to (https:\/\/www.edge.org\/response-detail\/27071) has no references, and thus there is no particular reason to accept any of its ~~empty-headed~~ assertions. The author seems confused about genetics in general, specifically in comparing the X chromosome (which undergoes recombination) with the Y chromosome which does not. By the way, Mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from your mother and is derived from a symbiotic bacteria, is a better analogue to the Y chromosome. It also shows disappearing lineages over time and the evolution of new lines, just as does the Y chromosome.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":6548.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"ikzwre","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.89,"history":"Did Animistic\/Shamanistic societies recognize Schizophrenia and other mental illnesses as forms of divination? I recently read a lengthy post on twitter which claimed that many animistic societies acknowledged schizophrenia as being traits of a shaman, and was curious as to whether there is any credence to this claim.","c_root_id_A":"g3qea0o","c_root_id_B":"g3rudat","created_at_utc_A":1599062553,"created_at_utc_B":1599082462,"score_A":4,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"To further details, my advice would be to check George Devereux studies. I only know it as French but he lived in USA most of his life i think this has been Translate. Essay of ethno-psychiatry clinic. Great insight to better understand influence of mental illness in social mechanism and institutions.","human_ref_B":"I've read that is the case. Someone you might be interested to read about is Malidoma Patrice Som\u00e9, this guy of the Dagaaba ethnicity from Western Africa. I read this article by Dick Russell about how Som\u00e9's traditional, non-pathological understanding of schizophrenia helped his schizophrenic son deal with his condition. The article delves a bit into how Som\u00e9's tradition views schizophrenia\/mental illness.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":19909.0,"score_ratio":1.25} {"post_id":"e8cfre","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Any tv shows\/documentaies about primitive\/isolated tribes where the translations aren't total BS. I've been trying to find some stuff on the matter but every time the translations are so obviously made up that it's cringy to watch.","c_root_id_A":"facn7zf","c_root_id_B":"fabzd8w","created_at_utc_A":1575942829,"created_at_utc_B":1575931158,"score_A":13,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"While I don't disagree that there is probably lots of mistranslated dialogue, I think some of the cringyness might come from translation issues in general. I learned the basics of an African language, and lots of common phrases sound stilted, weirdly formal, or empty when translated into English but can have more nuance in context. Languages can be high or low context, and lots of high-context languages depend a lot on context to create meaning. English is a very low-context language - lots of meaning can be conveyed with written text. For example, BBC's Human Planet has some simplistic-sounding dialogue, but I trust that the BBC is translating correctly (I hope). It doesn't necessarily mean that the languages lack nuance, it's just conveyed differently than low-context languages.","human_ref_B":"Going to be hard to find. The problem lies alot with the production and editing staff. Sadly few people speak their native tongue for some tribes and the producers are not going to fly out a native speaker to transcribe the conversations (even if they were to fly them out I doubt the individual would be willing to transcribe the conversations as it is painstakingly slow and repetitive). Sad reality of show business. I don't have any good documentaries because I don't speak the language and will have no idea if they are correct but there was a documentary about the Kwakwaka\u02bcwakw people in Vancouver at the art museum and I thought it was good. It was through the museum so I have no idea how to get access to the film.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":11671.0,"score_ratio":6.5} {"post_id":"9fv1nu","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Where Nomadic People more egalitarians compared to settled agricultural ones?","c_root_id_A":"e5ziqsc","c_root_id_B":"e5zsqtv","created_at_utc_A":1536957188,"created_at_utc_B":1536967233,"score_A":17,"score_B":22,"human_ref_A":"Nomadic peoples after the rise of agriculture were primarily pastoralists, which are almost universally very unequal societies. Small scale (subsistence) agriculture doesn\u2019t lend itself well to social domination because there\u2019s just not the ability to accumulate wealth like there is with a heard of animals.","human_ref_B":"Anyone interested in cross-cultural analyses, like the question you have posed here, should really check out the databases that exist precisely for answering these kinds of questions. The standard cross cultural sample (SCCS) is a very valuable resource. That resources is freely available at https:\/\/d-place.org\/. Using the SCCS, you can run queries where you first identify all cultures that were coded by trained analysts as nomadic, and see what percentage of them have deep political hierarchies. You can then compare this result to cultures that are not nomadic. Quantitative data like these are really useful for advancing the discussion past impressions, anecdotes, pet theories. And just so there is no confusion, NO, I am not saying that quantitative analyses based on the SCCS are perfect; NO, I am not saying that the ethnographic record is perfectly representative of all places and times, NO, I am not saying that political hierarchies are good or natural or inevitable. I have to say all this obvious crap because there are a fair number of reddit anthropologists that love to hate on quantitative, systematic approaches, for tired reasons. Good luck.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":10045.0,"score_ratio":1.2941176471} {"post_id":"8rgtdi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.89,"history":"What are some good sources for Traditional African religions in East Africa? I've got a friend going on an extended visit to East Africa for her Food Systems degree, and I want to give her a going-away gift. She's interested in religious studies as a hobby, but hasn't done or taken classes about academic work in it. What would be a good book on Traditional African religions that focuses on East Africa that is accessible and available for sale at a reasonable price (seriously, I've seen some books go for like $700 used on Amazon)?","c_root_id_A":"e0ro55w","c_root_id_B":"e0rmr05","created_at_utc_A":1529151930,"created_at_utc_B":1529149568,"score_A":4,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Edward Alpers\u2019s books on East Africa are considered to be some of the best studies on the region Though they\u2019re not specifically religious studies, religion does play a huge role in his discussions. Kevin Shillington\u2019s text History of Africa also has a couple of chapters around the development of societies in East Africa, specifically about the prehistoric migrations of Bantu speakers and the spread of iron smelting technology and pottery.","human_ref_B":"Could you define what country or at least part of east Africa?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2362.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"8rgtdi","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.89,"history":"What are some good sources for Traditional African religions in East Africa? I've got a friend going on an extended visit to East Africa for her Food Systems degree, and I want to give her a going-away gift. She's interested in religious studies as a hobby, but hasn't done or taken classes about academic work in it. What would be a good book on Traditional African religions that focuses on East Africa that is accessible and available for sale at a reasonable price (seriously, I've seen some books go for like $700 used on Amazon)?","c_root_id_A":"e0ro29u","c_root_id_B":"e0ro55w","created_at_utc_A":1529151796,"created_at_utc_B":1529151930,"score_A":2,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"If you're not looking exclusivelly for academic reading, I can recommend some novels by Chinua Achebe that I really liked, that deal with this topic. Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God are both wonderful books, both in their way speaking of the polytheistic religion of the Igbo (Ibo) people of Nigeria.","human_ref_B":"Edward Alpers\u2019s books on East Africa are considered to be some of the best studies on the region Though they\u2019re not specifically religious studies, religion does play a huge role in his discussions. Kevin Shillington\u2019s text History of Africa also has a couple of chapters around the development of societies in East Africa, specifically about the prehistoric migrations of Bantu speakers and the spread of iron smelting technology and pottery.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":134.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"7rmb10","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"How much of Sex at Dawn is credible? This was asked 4 years ago and I was curious if there have been any developments in Sex at Dawn's credibility since then. The primary criticisms I saw in the old thread were that he cherry picks data and pushed a preconceived narrative. I guess what I'm really asking is, is there any consensus in the field of anthropology regarding Ryan's thesis?","c_root_id_A":"dsygd7b","c_root_id_B":"dsy0dsw","created_at_utc_A":1516425740,"created_at_utc_B":1516404211,"score_A":34,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"It's a mixture of true (but not novel), false, and misleading claims. What they call \"the standard narrative\" is not really an academic consensus, which can be seen by how much they cite anthropologists in arguments against other anthropologists. It can be found in some of the literature, but it is far more influential in pop science than primary literature. If they had said that, it probably would have provoked less of a response, but instead they went with the idea that they were overturning some kind of \"establishment\" consensus and instituting a new scientific paradigm, because many of the \"standard narrative\" ideas they want to debunk have already been debunked within the field. So it's nothing new. Second, any hypothesis that tells you that there was one single pattern that held across the entirety of pre-Neolithic humanity is pretty safe to dismiss. There is an amazing amount of diversity among contemporary hunter-gatherers with respect to all sorts of variables and cultural phenomena and there's no reason to suppose that didn't hold true in the stone ages. The ultimate conclusion sort of just replaces one version of bad pop evo psych with a different version of bad pop evo psych combined with a lengthy appeal to nature. Barbara J. King wrote a review here: http:\/\/www.bookslut.com\/features\/2010_08_016440.php Patrick Clarkin did a lengthy multi-post sort of meta-review here: https:\/\/kevishere.com\/2011\/07\/05\/part-1-humans-are-blank-ogamous\/","human_ref_B":"This seems to have a decent overview of academic commentary - https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sex_at_Dawn#Scholarly_reception.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":21529.0,"score_ratio":5.6666666667} {"post_id":"chrizl","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.89,"history":"Why aren\u2019t people in indigenous tribes covered in mosquito bites?","c_root_id_A":"euyf5ha","c_root_id_B":"euz4i5x","created_at_utc_A":1564101126,"created_at_utc_B":1564113167,"score_A":4,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"Certain plants rubbed on the body would act as a repellant. Also, the fat of animals would be smeared on the body to serve the same purpose. In North America, bear fat or gator fat would be used.","human_ref_B":"Maybe not the answer you're looking for but speaking as someone who has volunteered with a number of peoples who have lived and slept outside their whole lives I'd say at least part of it is that they become somewhat immune, or, they are covered in bites but it doesn't really affect them much. I remember one dude I was volunteering with, a native of the area, was covered with mosquitos for a good duration of the time but he didn't get bumps or itch at all so I think his body kind of just....got used to it over time. I also got told by people to rub or spray catnip on my body and it worked pretty well as a repellent so they obviously knew they were annoying in some capacity. I don't have a source but this guy feeds his mosquitos with his own arm and his sensitivity to bites has apparently gone down: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DBwB8HyXDuA","labels":0,"seconds_difference":12041.0,"score_ratio":2.5} {"post_id":"4cgruk","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"At what point does a deceased and buried body become the object of historical study? One wouldn't excavate Queen Victoria for religious, cultural, and temporal reasons. Taking into account the fact that those buried in the pyramids (for example) certainly didn't want their bodies disturbed, at what point, as historians, do we have the 'right' to study people's bodies? I can't work out (as an atheist) at what point- if any- I'd feel comfortable a) disturbing somebody's grave, and b) putting their remains on display, if it seemed obvious that this went against their wishes. I've asked this on the ask AskHistorians too, but figured it might be relevant here too. Please let me know if not!","c_root_id_A":"d1iyq3o","c_root_id_B":"d1i8vfe","created_at_utc_A":1459341229,"created_at_utc_B":1459287373,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"Right now, archaeologists from South Florida University are excavating graves at the Dozier School for Boys - some of those graves are less than 30 years old I believe. However, this is kind of a \"special case\" - as the school was closed due to widespread claims of abuse. The archaeologists are attempting to settle the historical record about what really happened, find the remains of about 100 boys who are missing, and return some of those remains to family. Most people have no problem with the \"ethics\" of this case, yet the lead researcher (Kimmerle, I believe) still talks about the ethics of doing what they're doing. It's fascinating research and has been widespread in the news down here.","human_ref_B":"I've asked this question on \/r\/AskReddit and seen it come up there after, as well as being linked to past versions. 'When does graverobbing become archeology?' is roughly how it is phrased there. While it's obviously a less nuanced question and in a less specialised sub, several of the answers were from people to whom this is a professional concern, and they went into some detail about the ethics of exhumation. Searching those threads out would be worth your time, I think.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":53856.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"7ssvwq","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.8,"history":"I\u2019m a newbie and currently at a community college. Ive taken cultural anthropology and loved it. However I\u2019m wondering if I do pursuit this career path, will I have to take any math classes? I\u2019m horrible at math and would much like to steer away from it as much possible.","c_root_id_A":"dt7voxi","c_root_id_B":"dt87eqj","created_at_utc_A":1516889486,"created_at_utc_B":1516901251,"score_A":3,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"At my school I needed college algebra and stats. Stats is incredibly useful as an anthro\/archy.","human_ref_B":"Telling yourself that you're bad at math and steering away from it is exactly the reason why you're not proficient at it. You're at a cc, you should know well enough by now that there are students there who got placed in college level algebra and then worked their way up to multivariable calculus and other high-level courses. Math is a language, it requires a lot more practice to get right than simply memorizing a stack of flash cards, but it's not impossible.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":11765.0,"score_ratio":2.3333333333} {"post_id":"a6xsq2","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Thinking About Pursuing a Degree in Anthropology Hey Folk, Sorry if this sort of things is against subreddit rules, but I couldn't see anything about it. I've always been super interested in things like human history, language, and religion, and would frequently say that if I could pursue any sort of degree without ever having to worry about finding work, it would be one of those. A friend recently suggested I look in to Anthropology, and I realized I'd never actually thought about that before. After some brief googling, it appears that this sort of field involves subjects I would enjoy, however I feel like I must be missing something. Most of the jobs I'm seeing involve a professorship or some other educational position. Is this the general way of things, or am I missing some other possible opportunities? Additionally, any sort of tips or observations that you've had throughout your experience with Anthropology would be cool to read through!","c_root_id_A":"ebyu391","c_root_id_B":"ebyunga","created_at_utc_A":1545034524,"created_at_utc_B":1545035516,"score_A":10,"score_B":17,"human_ref_A":"I'm doing my honours in anthropology and I love it. You learn so many interesting things about different cultures, peoples, philosophies, etc. I always encourage people to take at least one anthropology class because it's so fascinating. Theres also a lot academically that you can study in anthropology because it's interdisciplinary. In terms of jobs, I dont know where you live, but in Canada, you dont necessarily have to be a professor after university if you want to graduate with a degree in anthropology. Theres a lot of government jobs at local, provincial and federal levels. You can work in social services, in litigation, with the environment, with animals, with pretty much anything. Your job title might not be \"anthropologist\", it might be something else, but you can definitely find jobs that will incorporate a lot of what you learn in anthropology.","human_ref_B":"Most degrees aren't directly vocational. But a degree like anthropology is by its nature about changing your perception of other people and, at undergrad at least, gaining a broad, not specific, set of understandings. That means that there aren't many specific tailor made careers. But that you should have a set of skills valuable to good employers. Saying that it took me a really long time to get meaningful work after my degree (I had jobs, but not a career). And that's largely because I didn't know how to sell myself or my skills.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":992.0,"score_ratio":1.7} {"post_id":"bel293","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Why did hominids begin cooking their food? I recently watched a video from PBS Eons on the hominid use of fire and it got me to thinking. I understand that cooked food has many benefits, including killing bacteria, but how did the hominids discover this? Why did the first hominid decide to cook his food instead of eating it raw, before the more recent discovery of bacteria and parasites?","c_root_id_A":"el7npag","c_root_id_B":"el7tlrx","created_at_utc_A":1555617137,"created_at_utc_B":1555620907,"score_A":3,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Cooking made food last longer, which meant that groups who moved away from their \"core\" area and might not have any access to food could travel for longer periods without the worry of running out of food. But like others have said, obviously we don't know\/can't say for sure, and there are other factors that contributed as well. ​ Also yeah, killed bacteria\/potentially made food taste better.","human_ref_B":"My personal and probably idiotic theory was that they just like throwing stuff into fire. It's fun. Probably also how they (much later humans) learned to smelt stuff. I feel like jacking around is a probable answer... since we can't really know.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3770.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"7wxbqm","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.92,"history":"What is the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis and why is it largely dismissed? To preface: I did check the wiki, and the AAH quite honestly seems ridiculous just from the start. I have one intro-level college Anthropology course behind me and even I can tell the theory is reaching. Hard. But, I'm no expert so I thought maybe someone smarter would make this hypothesis more palatable. Or, failing that, give me more specific reasons to dismiss it as nonsense. Maybe even tell me how it became a mainstream (ish) hypothesis to begin with.","c_root_id_A":"du3yv3w","c_root_id_B":"du3zwap","created_at_utc_A":1518403741,"created_at_utc_B":1518405012,"score_A":6,"score_B":101,"human_ref_A":"I'm not very familiar with the history of the hypothesis, but it's been suggested as a causal explanation for bipedalism (for wading through water). The more mainstream idea being that we walk bipedally to use tools, carry resources, carry babies, run long distances, etc. AAH is dismissed because there is no real evidence for it. We're really not that well adapted for life in waist-deep water. On the contrary, we're pretty well adapted for life on the (dry) savannah.","human_ref_B":"EDIT: So to quick explain AAH, its the theory that the major cause for a ton of our adaptations is that humans were aquatic apes who became bipedal primarily because of wading into deep water. Depending on who you talk to they will quote different traits, but mainly its hairlessness, diving reflex, webbed fingers, hooded noses etc. So AAH is a fun hypothesis to throw around at students to make them think, but it also falls short in many many ways and really falls short of pretty much any scrutiny. Water has definitely been a part of human evolution, but nowhere near the level that AAH implies. I'll try and hit a few of the major points of AAH, but if you have any questions please ask. Point 1: Our relative hairlessness The thing is that that can more easily be explained by our bipedalism and running abilities. Hair reduces the cooling ability of an animal and our bipedalism is a specialized adaptation to a hot climate. On top of that looking at the biological adaptations we have that deal with bipedalism would have made us worse aquatic animals (we are tall and thin, aquatic animals are short and stout, it deals with heat dissipation and surface area). On top of that most semi aquatic mammals have a lot of fur. In fact they tend to have the densest, and finest fur of all mammals. The only real exception is Hippos and that deals in their body shape and hydrodynamics (Hippos bones are super dense, and make them sink making fur and air bubbles less likely to help them at any depth, so they compensate with blubber instead of heavy fur though they do still have some fur). On top of that if you look at semi aquatic mammals they don't have long limbs, that's worse for swimming, and is a horrible adaptation to submersion since it cools the blood in said limbs. Basically our adaptations are not good for water, but they are great for standing upright in a sunny area. Point 2: diving reflex, human infants hold their breath automatically when submerged and our heart rate decreased autonomously when our face is wet. So all mammals that have a womb are born with diving instinct (ironically platypus are the only one that aren't and they are aquatic). Basically its the same feeling as being in the womb so they don't try and breath. It actually disappears quite quickly in humans too. From there any swimming movements should be more seen as an attempt to find traction for movement, not actual swimming. Point 3: our hooded noses (which prevent water from going into our lungs when upright under water). So primates can be split into two groups catarrhine (old world monkeys); and Platyrrhini (New world monkeys). All old world monkeys have noses that face down and hooded nostrils. The question of how far down they face is dependent on how defined their nose is from their snout. In humans that deals primarily with the reduction of the honing canine, but all great apes have hooded nostrils. Point 4: minor webbing of our fingers We have no more or less \"webbing\" than any of the other great apes. Point 5: Prune finger reflex (which increases grip underwater) Well a few things. First off all primates fingers prune up when exposed to water long term. Second it doesn't REALLY increase grip underwater. Every study done doesn't show any real advantage by comparison of pruney fingers to non pruney fingers in dexterity, feeling, or grip. Truth is we aren't exactly sure why they prune up, that's just an explanation that got proposed in 2011 and has kinda stuck in pop science explanations. AAH is fun to think about, and humans absolutely swam and used aquatic resources earlier than we think about. But it was most likely not a driving force behind our evolutionary traits.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1271.0,"score_ratio":16.8333333333} {"post_id":"a9ekoj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"What I need to read in anthropology! I would appreciate some book recommendations on cultural , social ,culinary anthropology...or any books that can provide me with a good basis and introduction to anthropology! Thank you","c_root_id_A":"ecir1if","c_root_id_B":"ecixlz9","created_at_utc_A":1545747449,"created_at_utc_B":1545754499,"score_A":3,"score_B":17,"human_ref_A":"Edward T. Hall ; Mauss ; Godelier ; Heritier.. Depends on what you're searching for","human_ref_B":"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7050.0,"score_ratio":5.6666666667} {"post_id":"a9ekoj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"What I need to read in anthropology! I would appreciate some book recommendations on cultural , social ,culinary anthropology...or any books that can provide me with a good basis and introduction to anthropology! Thank you","c_root_id_A":"ecir1if","c_root_id_B":"ecj402s","created_at_utc_A":1545747449,"created_at_utc_B":1545760015,"score_A":3,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Edward T. Hall ; Mauss ; Godelier ; Heritier.. Depends on what you're searching for","human_ref_B":"I have never heard of culinary Anthropology before. Kinda regret going into archaeology knowing that I could have studied food instead.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":12566.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"a9ekoj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"What I need to read in anthropology! I would appreciate some book recommendations on cultural , social ,culinary anthropology...or any books that can provide me with a good basis and introduction to anthropology! Thank you","c_root_id_A":"ecizlov","c_root_id_B":"ecj402s","created_at_utc_A":1545756425,"created_at_utc_B":1545760015,"score_A":2,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Parallel Worlds by Alma Gottleib. Good honest reflection on what the process of writing ethnologies is really like. Also a quick read and entertaining.","human_ref_B":"I have never heard of culinary Anthropology before. Kinda regret going into archaeology knowing that I could have studied food instead.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3590.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"a9ekoj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"What I need to read in anthropology! I would appreciate some book recommendations on cultural , social ,culinary anthropology...or any books that can provide me with a good basis and introduction to anthropology! Thank you","c_root_id_A":"ecizlov","c_root_id_B":"ecjcwud","created_at_utc_A":1545756425,"created_at_utc_B":1545767251,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Parallel Worlds by Alma Gottleib. Good honest reflection on what the process of writing ethnologies is really like. Also a quick read and entertaining.","human_ref_B":"You could do worse than Thomas Eriksen's *Small Places, Large Issues* for a light overview of Social Anth and some of its major points of interest. Otherwise I'd say find an interesting (and accessible) ethnography that catches your eye so you can read the discipline in practise. Philippe Bourgois' *Righteous Dopefiend* and *In Search of Respect* are immensely readable and usually go down well with people new to Anthropological literature, if you're at all interested in pubic health and\/or structural violence.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":10826.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"a9ekoj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"What I need to read in anthropology! I would appreciate some book recommendations on cultural , social ,culinary anthropology...or any books that can provide me with a good basis and introduction to anthropology! Thank you","c_root_id_A":"ecjcwud","c_root_id_B":"ecjasd7","created_at_utc_A":1545767251,"created_at_utc_B":1545765555,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"You could do worse than Thomas Eriksen's *Small Places, Large Issues* for a light overview of Social Anth and some of its major points of interest. Otherwise I'd say find an interesting (and accessible) ethnography that catches your eye so you can read the discipline in practise. Philippe Bourgois' *Righteous Dopefiend* and *In Search of Respect* are immensely readable and usually go down well with people new to Anthropological literature, if you're at all interested in pubic health and\/or structural violence.","human_ref_B":"Cuisines and Empire: Cooking in History By Rachel Laudan On the topic if culinary anthropology, of course.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":1696.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"86qrb3","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"\"Discuss the Decoupling of Behavior from Anatomy in the first million or so years of the genus Homo\" What does this mean??? Okay, so in my Anthropology class I have to write three essays in response to three prompts. This is part of my third prompt: \"Discuss the Decoupling of Behavior from Anatomy in the first million or so years of the genus Homo\" First of all I am so sorry if the answer to this is obvious but I really have no clue what my professor means by \"decoupling\". I know the definition of the word and I've done some googling but I am really not getting what it means in context with the rest of the prompt. Again, I am sorry if the answer to this is obvious and I am just completely oblivious or if this is an annoying question but I would really like to keep my A in this class lol. Thank you!!","c_root_id_A":"dw7jlle","c_root_id_B":"dw77eay","created_at_utc_A":1521896032,"created_at_utc_B":1521867425,"score_A":9,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"This is not really an answer to your question but you could also email your professor or go to office hours.","human_ref_B":"I'm reading that the prof wants you to discuss how behaviour and biological anatomy became separate from each other. I.e., what was \"Homo\" doing, even though its anatomy suggested it should be doing otherwise?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":28607.0,"score_ratio":1.2857142857} {"post_id":"86qrb3","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.84,"history":"\"Discuss the Decoupling of Behavior from Anatomy in the first million or so years of the genus Homo\" What does this mean??? Okay, so in my Anthropology class I have to write three essays in response to three prompts. This is part of my third prompt: \"Discuss the Decoupling of Behavior from Anatomy in the first million or so years of the genus Homo\" First of all I am so sorry if the answer to this is obvious but I really have no clue what my professor means by \"decoupling\". I know the definition of the word and I've done some googling but I am really not getting what it means in context with the rest of the prompt. Again, I am sorry if the answer to this is obvious and I am just completely oblivious or if this is an annoying question but I would really like to keep my A in this class lol. Thank you!!","c_root_id_A":"dw7awoo","c_root_id_B":"dw7jlle","created_at_utc_A":1521874329,"created_at_utc_B":1521896032,"score_A":3,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"One place to start could be stone tool technology. Schick and Toth (1993) propose that stone tools represent artificial teeth and claws that early hominins used to manipulate their environment. As stone tools are an aspect of *behavior* rather than *anatomy*, we begin to see niche widening through technology that really gets going with the genus *Homo*, and was a key behavior that enabled our species to not only survive climatic fluctuations in Africa, but to disperse across the planet. Hope this helps! Schick, K. & Toth, N. 1993. 'Making Silent Stones Speak'. New York: Simon & Schuster","human_ref_B":"This is not really an answer to your question but you could also email your professor or go to office hours.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":21703.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"omdzw3","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"Favorite ethnographies of globalization? I've been asked to put together an intro-level course on the theme of globalization, based on four or five ethnographic monographs from different areas of the world. Please suggest some favorites. Ideal candidates will be accessible to students from different backgrounds and, of course, engaging. Any aspect of globalization is fine. Thanks in advance!","c_root_id_A":"h5kbvrw","c_root_id_B":"h5kcjg1","created_at_utc_A":1626561651,"created_at_utc_B":1626562000,"score_A":9,"score_B":13,"human_ref_A":"I would suggeat \"global shadows\" and \"the anti-politics machine\" by james ferguson. They were an eye opener for me during my studies!","human_ref_B":"We read Anxieties of Mobilities by Johan Lindqvist for a module. Its pretty neat monograph about the Singapore\/Malaysia\/Indonesiean borderlands in the Singapore straight - and how it localizes many of Globalization's abstract forces in a studiable field. Even if it dove into pretty complicated concepts it was still a good introduction to anthropological perspectives on Globalization since it could portray these concepts in the straight's policing of movements, border enforcements, FTZs and their sociocultural complications, economic and social interdependence and etc","labels":0,"seconds_difference":349.0,"score_ratio":1.4444444444} {"post_id":"4sska4","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.75,"history":"What was the difference between the early humans who left Africa and those who stayed behind? Were the former better equipped and adapted? I was watching one of those survival shows that is all the rage now, and the premise of this one was that a couple would start out in Africa surviving with only the tools and survival skills that our human ancestors would have used, and then they would follow the human migration up through Africa into Europe with their tools and survival skills evolving accordingly. At first I found it interesting, but something bothered me and then it sort of hit me... this idea that the tools and survival skills (so, you know...intelligence)improved as they got out of Africa. Which seems to me to imply that the humans that eventually left Africa were smarter, better equipped, and perhaps even more evolved than those who stayed. Which, I want to make clear, I absolutely do not believe. But, I also don't think the people who made this show were meaning to get that message across either... I mean, I've heard this before... that as humans evolved, they made their way out of Africa and spread world wide. It just suddenly is beginning to bother me because of the possible implications. And so anthropologists, I put my (admittedly unwieldy) question to you...","c_root_id_A":"d5cb79t","c_root_id_B":"d5c8px1","created_at_utc_A":1468522481,"created_at_utc_B":1468519315,"score_A":12,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"I'm assuming you're talking about the first Homo sapiens to leave Africa, but since you use the word humans I think it's important to mention that the first \"humans\" (genus homo) to leave were not Homo sapiens. You might be interested in Yuval Noah Harari's \"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.\" I've only just started reading so I can't give many details, but I found it interesting to think about all the other humans who left Africa long before Homo sapiens evolved. There were at least a half dozen other species of human at one point in time, and all these species evolved as they adapted to the different environments they ended up in around the planet. Homo sapiens originated in Africa long after humans had explored most of the earth. So if you're truly talking about all humans, the most \"intelligent\" were actually those who stayed in Africa long after our common ancestors migrated north.","human_ref_B":"There would be no difference at all. They were the same people. The African population prospered and grew and eventually crossed into the Middle East where a huge range of new possibilities opened up to those frontier populations. Sure, there must have been some genetic changes that favoured lighter skins as the populations expanded northwards, for example, but humans are pretty much the same everywhere.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":3166.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"1rupdu","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.8,"history":"What is the most concise and backed up theory for the origin and evolution of Hominid bipedalism? Hey everyone! I am writing a research paper about why humans developed bipedalism as our primary mode of locomotion and it unfortunately happens to be due in a few days from now and I'm a bit lost. There seem to be quite a few theories flying around and many researchers seem to suggest some particular combination - freeing the forelimbs for carrying\/tool making, bipedal threat displays, solar heat distribution, and so on. I would like to focus on a major theory and perhaps cite some of the others as potential side effects, but not the primary reason. I am somewhat intrigued by Lovejoy's suggestion that bipedalism evolved as a necessary means for males to acquire and carry back far away resources for child-rearing as babies could no longer efficiently cling onto their mothers (am I understanding this correctly?), but this idea also kind of sounds like wishful thinking proposing that bipedalism evolved as a result of monogamy (which I wouldn't mind being true, but it seems like it could be a potential bias). Also Jablonski\/Chaplin's argument for bipedal threat display seems fairly convincing, although again, I feel like they both can be intertwined and I don't know which to focus on. I'm hoping to get some insight and guidance about which direction I should take my research, as well as perhaps some suggestions for sources - I have a few collected at the moment, but my biggest problem is my shortage of time and as a result I am unable to read through everything and decide which papers would be useful for my paper and which won't. Any sort of feedback\/ideas\/thoughts\/suggestions would be very much appreciated and aside from this being for my paper I think it could make for a good discussion. Thank you!","c_root_id_A":"cdr3dz7","c_root_id_B":"cdr6nol","created_at_utc_A":1385926392,"created_at_utc_B":1385933642,"score_A":4,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"I'm not really fond of helping with late papers, but I like this documentary: Becoming Human. I think both theories you mentioned are oversimplistic and do not take into account many other factors. Also, my focus is not Biological anthropology but I'm pretty sure there is not one \"most concise and backed up theory\" but rather a multitude of factors that may have led to this particular adaptation.","human_ref_B":"Maybe instead of looking for a single all encompassing reason, you should stress the combined interconnected benefits from the minor reasons. I've never heard of a completely agreed upon \"main\"\/major theory, but rather the several theories that have culminated in importance to be selected for survival. Of course, if your paper allows, you can offer your own perspective on which may have been the \"most\" influential in driving the shift in mode of locomotion. Personally, I think freeing up the hands was essential, and was propelled forward by the other factors. There's also the fact that walking long distances as biped conserves more calories than walking long distances as a quadruped, which was important for migration through the changing landscapes. This also allowed early humans to exhaust their prey by pursuing them for great distances, so bipedalism proved to be a valuable hunting mechanic.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7250.0,"score_ratio":1.25} {"post_id":"b8ztaj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"When in history do \"rich\" and \"poor\" start making sense? Inspired by this question that mentions poor people in the Bronze Age, does \"poor\" mean the same as it does now? I can imagine at some point there's really only a different between people\/communities that have readily available resources and those that don't. It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. How has \"poor\" changed? When did it become our modern meaning? Are there any good articles that I can read to learn more about this?","c_root_id_A":"ek1h4br","c_root_id_B":"ek1jxep","created_at_utc_A":1554314854,"created_at_utc_B":1554316482,"score_A":5,"score_B":49,"human_ref_A":">It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. Are you describing what people call 'relative' (as opposed to 'absolute') poverty? The United Kingdom (my country) is a first world nation and one of the wealthiest on the planet, but we still have child hunger here. I'm not sure you can say poverty for them is purely social rather than economic. Also, modern where? Because there are plenty of countries today with high levels of absolute poverty and starvation.","human_ref_B":"This doesn't exactly answer your question, but one of the contributions of anthropology has been to enrich our understanding of how \"wealth\" can be understood cross-culturally. What does it mean to be wealthy in societies without money, or in societies where hoarding goods does not translate into status? This is a bit esoteric, but I think that James Ferguson's 1992 article \"The Cultural Topography of Wealth\" gives a good introduction to thinking about multiple understandings of property. It relates directly to Paul Bohannon's work on spheres of exchange among the Tiv (see the wikipedia page on it here: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spheres_of_exchange ).","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1628.0,"score_ratio":9.8} {"post_id":"b8ztaj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"When in history do \"rich\" and \"poor\" start making sense? Inspired by this question that mentions poor people in the Bronze Age, does \"poor\" mean the same as it does now? I can imagine at some point there's really only a different between people\/communities that have readily available resources and those that don't. It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. How has \"poor\" changed? When did it become our modern meaning? Are there any good articles that I can read to learn more about this?","c_root_id_A":"ek1mxvd","c_root_id_B":"ek1h4br","created_at_utc_A":1554318189,"created_at_utc_B":1554314854,"score_A":19,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"Well, we don't have a singular defintion of what \"poor\" means. From what I understand, there are more or less 2 dominant ways of looking at class (or as you ask what it means to be poor): the Marxist and the Weberian lenses. It's important to remember that neither is entirely correct and basically anyone worth their salt will draw from either tradition. ​ First, let's look at the Marxist lens of \"class\". While there is a huge realm of debate around class, consciousness, and other issues, the central concept of Marxist class analysis is in power relations. The capitalist has power over the worker by being able to hire or fire or deciding on wages, thus they are in different classes The feudal lord has power over the peasant by being able to decide where and how the peasant works. Marxist interpretations of class lean heavily on how different people relate to each other in society. While this does a rather good job of describing how different people relate to each other in hierarchies, it does little to discuss how people relate to each other while being in the same \"class\" when individuals in the same \"class\" via social relations obviously have different amounts of power in society. ​ OTOH, we have the \"Weberians\". While the Marxist lens focuses on relations, Weberians tend to focus on quantitative differentials. For example, a Marxist will give a class scheme focused on how different people in society relate to each other. A purely Weberian might instead give a class scheme based on how much money\/resources any individual makes. A big difference that Weber brought into political economy is that power arises from a multitude of sources, not just economic relations (as Marx more or less describes). Thus, someone having more money, a more prestigious career, or some other thing will put them in a different class than the power relations under Marx might imply. ​ As I started out by saying, any kind of class analysis worth anything will draw from both Marxist and Weberian wells. Besides that, the concepts of \"poor\", \"rich\", and even \"economic class\" are highly dependant upon the specific society you are talking about.","human_ref_B":">It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. Are you describing what people call 'relative' (as opposed to 'absolute') poverty? The United Kingdom (my country) is a first world nation and one of the wealthiest on the planet, but we still have child hunger here. I'm not sure you can say poverty for them is purely social rather than economic. Also, modern where? Because there are plenty of countries today with high levels of absolute poverty and starvation.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":3335.0,"score_ratio":3.8} {"post_id":"b8ztaj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"When in history do \"rich\" and \"poor\" start making sense? Inspired by this question that mentions poor people in the Bronze Age, does \"poor\" mean the same as it does now? I can imagine at some point there's really only a different between people\/communities that have readily available resources and those that don't. It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. How has \"poor\" changed? When did it become our modern meaning? Are there any good articles that I can read to learn more about this?","c_root_id_A":"ek1h4br","c_root_id_B":"ek1nd9u","created_at_utc_A":1554314854,"created_at_utc_B":1554318440,"score_A":5,"score_B":16,"human_ref_A":">It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. Are you describing what people call 'relative' (as opposed to 'absolute') poverty? The United Kingdom (my country) is a first world nation and one of the wealthiest on the planet, but we still have child hunger here. I'm not sure you can say poverty for them is purely social rather than economic. Also, modern where? Because there are plenty of countries today with high levels of absolute poverty and starvation.","human_ref_B":"It's believed that wealth disparity was the cornerstone of government, and many will place it coming to the forefront as soon as agriculture is developed. Note that sites like Catal Hoyuk don't seem to display much in the way of wealth disparity, some buildings are larger than others, but there's no sign that any building was anything but residential, meaning no buildings which served as stores, temples or places of governance. Catal Hoyuk represents a pre-agriculture settlement in which every person was responsible for feeding themselves, and therefore whether a person had a larger or smaller house may have come down to how much effort they put into building that house. ​ Certainly by the time that writing is established in Mesopotamia there are clear signs of wealth disparity. Grain collected from farmers would be distributed in the city based on the type of profession you worked in, and the size of your family. The temple managed and doled out this food, and the whole city was subject to the rule of the King. By the time of Hammurabi's code of law, we see how these societies dealt with problems, what they felt was deserved punishment for crimes, and from that, the issues they faced. This is c. 1800 BC. ​ Ancient Rome famously had a patrician class and a plebian class. Towards the end of the Roman Empire, nearly all agricultural labour was done by slaves, which you might consider to be even below poverty, in terms of personal freedoms and ability to earn money. ​ In the 1000s in England, we have the charter of Cnut. You can read a small excerpt of it on Wikipedia, but the part that is relevant is in the introduction, \" *Cnut cyning gret his arcebiscopas and his leod-biscopas and \u00deurcyl eorl and ealle his eorlas and ealne his \u00feeodscype,* ***t\u01bfelfhynde and t\u01bfyhynde***\\*, gehadode and l\u00e6\u01bfede, on Englalande freondlice.\".\\* (Emphasis added) The side-by-side translation for this passage translates this section as \"... ***greater*** **(having a 1200** **shilling** **weregild****)** and ***lesser*** **(200 shilling weregild)**...\" From this context, we see that the disparity between the implied spectrum (not that this represents the entire wealth spectrum, only of those of the subjects which the king is addressing) is about 6 times, where the poorest have 1\/6th of the wealth of the more wealthy. ​ edit: just adding this after, in case anyone was wondering. In the Old English passage, the bolded words both begin with ***t\u01bf***. This might look like \"tp\", but that's actually the character wynn, not a \"p\". Wynn was the \"w\" character, before w was created. Those words are therefore twelfhynde (twelve hundred) and twyhynde (two hundred) directly.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":3586.0,"score_ratio":3.2} {"post_id":"b8ztaj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"When in history do \"rich\" and \"poor\" start making sense? Inspired by this question that mentions poor people in the Bronze Age, does \"poor\" mean the same as it does now? I can imagine at some point there's really only a different between people\/communities that have readily available resources and those that don't. It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. How has \"poor\" changed? When did it become our modern meaning? Are there any good articles that I can read to learn more about this?","c_root_id_A":"ek1pmga","c_root_id_B":"ek1h4br","created_at_utc_A":1554319750,"created_at_utc_B":1554314854,"score_A":7,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"Samuel Bowles has worked on this question quite a bit. He's got a nice talk on it here. There's a few things that we can draw out. When wealth is primarily somatic (eg. human labour and skill) there's almost no differences between people. Hunter gather's who tend to be quite limited in what they can carry and in groups that tend not to have inheritable property tend to have low levels of inequality. The same goes with horticultural people. There's a few people now making arguements that these lifeways were probably not solely determined by the nature of their resources but political choices. Horticultural people may have become horticultural in deliberate attempts to evade slavers, states and taxation. Slavery is a first big driver of inequality. Owning slaves means you have people to do you difficult labour and you can add (but not multiply) your somatic wealth by appropriating the wealth of other's bodies. As well you start to see large differences in the numbers of slaves. In one Nootka sound group where we have contemporary accounts the Tyee has about 100 slaves compared to an average person that has 1 or 2. By right most of the captives of any raid go to the Tyee so it's a rich get richer phenomenon (within limits though since slaves were frequently given as gifts or in trade relations for good will). Bowles gives the example that there is one interior Salish group that had inheritable property in the form of access to prime salmon fisheries where the inequality was as great as any contemporary society. This becomes his key point however. It's the inheritance of property that is the key driver of inequality. If we want to make a conclusive point between rich and poor it is when property, in any form that can persist over generations, becomes inheritable as part of that cultures social institutions.","human_ref_B":">It seems to me that our modern conception of rich and poor is more about hoarding capital, and the social aspect of employment and relative wealth. Are you describing what people call 'relative' (as opposed to 'absolute') poverty? The United Kingdom (my country) is a first world nation and one of the wealthiest on the planet, but we still have child hunger here. I'm not sure you can say poverty for them is purely social rather than economic. Also, modern where? Because there are plenty of countries today with high levels of absolute poverty and starvation.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4896.0,"score_ratio":1.4} {"post_id":"6uwh3s","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"What is the oldest deity we know of? Based on the confusion in my last question about the oldest religion I decided to get a bit more specific in my question. So for me a deity would be a named supernatural being that has the power to directly influence people or things.","c_root_id_A":"dlw9pju","c_root_id_B":"dlw7g0n","created_at_utc_A":1503262759,"created_at_utc_B":1503259936,"score_A":44,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"I personally would go for Nintud (aka Ninmach or Ninhursag), a Babylonian Mother Goddess. She's mentioned in Kesh temple hymn, one of the oldest written and translated texts ever that comes supposedly from the 27th century BC. According to the book on the topic I have just found at home now (Jordan, Michael. 1995. *The Encyclopedia of Gods*.), she's been worshipped since approximately 3500 BC. It's only for written records though. It's possible some myths and deities in oral traditions may be older.","human_ref_B":"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/AskHistorians\/comments\/1two55\/whowhat_is_the_earliest_deitygod_known_to_be\/","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2823.0,"score_ratio":2.9333333333} {"post_id":"6uwh3s","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.97,"history":"What is the oldest deity we know of? Based on the confusion in my last question about the oldest religion I decided to get a bit more specific in my question. So for me a deity would be a named supernatural being that has the power to directly influence people or things.","c_root_id_A":"dlw7g0n","c_root_id_B":"dlwcz64","created_at_utc_A":1503259936,"created_at_utc_B":1503266944,"score_A":15,"score_B":23,"human_ref_A":"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/AskHistorians\/comments\/1two55\/whowhat_is_the_earliest_deitygod_known_to_be\/","human_ref_B":"Strictly speaking, we can only really \"know\" deities of cultures that have a script (which we can read). I'm usually more interested in *pre*history, but as far as I know, the oldest known script is Cuneiform, from the 3rd-ish millennium BC. So the oldest known deity would probably be just as old, a guesstimate confirmed by the top comment in the thread that \/u\/mrrooftops linked. With that said, humans obviously worshiped \"stuff\" long before that, we just don't have any written records or names. What purpose exactly G\u00f6pekli Tepe served is unknown but it seems likely that *something* was worshiped there, be it ancestors, spirits, deities...it might very well be that one of the many steles and reliefs there depicts a god or gods whose names are now lost to time. Throughout the entire Neolithic and even late Paleolithic, there are many depictions of humanoid figures with various traits that indicate that they might be supernatural in some way, for example the Seated Woman of \u00c7atalh\u00f6y\u00fck, possibly a mother goddess? Her style seems to be a continuation of the Venus figures of the European Gravettian, who might just be matriarchs or maybe they're goddesses. My personal guess (!) - based on no real hard evidence - would be that the oldest deity we know of is the L\u00f6wenmensch vom Hohlenstein-Stadel, between 35ka and 41ka old. We don't know if the statue really depicts a god or goddess and even if it does, we most certainly will never know its name. But it's possible that this little carving depicts the first supernatural deity after millennia of Naturalism, the first member of a Pantheon so old it eludes our understanding.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7008.0,"score_ratio":1.5333333333} {"post_id":"3erk5n","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"Is it possible to develop a language that is as syntactically stringent as a computer programming language? If so, would we still be able to communicate with the same level of detail as existing languages?","c_root_id_A":"cthrouh","c_root_id_B":"cti1xta","created_at_utc_A":1438007306,"created_at_utc_B":1438022793,"score_A":7,"score_B":8,"human_ref_A":"Lojban?","human_ref_B":"Possible to develop... perhaps. Practical to use... absolutely not, given the advantages and nuances inherent to natural language (including nonverbal language, interpretive and adaptive abilities, and basic awareness of social\/emotional context).","labels":0,"seconds_difference":15487.0,"score_ratio":1.1428571429} {"post_id":"3erk5n","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.93,"history":"Is it possible to develop a language that is as syntactically stringent as a computer programming language? If so, would we still be able to communicate with the same level of detail as existing languages?","c_root_id_A":"cthxcz5","c_root_id_B":"cthrouh","created_at_utc_A":1438016218,"created_at_utc_B":1438007306,"score_A":8,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"The most similar would be Lojban. The level of detail isn't the main problem, the problem is the difficulty to learn it (lojban is very alien as a language)","human_ref_B":"Lojban?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":8912.0,"score_ratio":1.1428571429} {"post_id":"5w2mto","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Any good ethnography focusing on a gift economy? I've already read \"The Gift\" by Lewis Hyde. I'm looking for any book or monograph about day-to-day life in a gift economy: something that describes the social and emotional pressures that operate in a gift economy.","c_root_id_A":"de7bodh","c_root_id_B":"de7a9hy","created_at_utc_A":1488042699,"created_at_utc_B":1488040728,"score_A":6,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"marilyn strathern's the gender of the gift is a brilliant (and highly influential, i'm surprised that it hasn't been mentioned yet on this thread) work of contemporary feminist anthropological theory that explores the political economies of gender and exploitation.","human_ref_B":"Malinowski's *Argonauts of the Western Pacific*? He writes all about the kula gift-giving ceremony and how Trobriander society prepares for it.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":1971.0,"score_ratio":1.2} {"post_id":"5w2mto","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Any good ethnography focusing on a gift economy? I've already read \"The Gift\" by Lewis Hyde. I'm looking for any book or monograph about day-to-day life in a gift economy: something that describes the social and emotional pressures that operate in a gift economy.","c_root_id_A":"de7bodh","c_root_id_B":"de7arl5","created_at_utc_A":1488042699,"created_at_utc_B":1488041428,"score_A":6,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"marilyn strathern's the gender of the gift is a brilliant (and highly influential, i'm surprised that it hasn't been mentioned yet on this thread) work of contemporary feminist anthropological theory that explores the political economies of gender and exploitation.","human_ref_B":"Onka's big Moka is a interesting documentary on the gift giving and story of one of the leaders of this Kawelka Papua New Guinea tribe. Explains what the gift giving process looks like and the journey of Onka whose trying to gather a large gift for another tribe.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":1271.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"5w2mto","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Any good ethnography focusing on a gift economy? I've already read \"The Gift\" by Lewis Hyde. I'm looking for any book or monograph about day-to-day life in a gift economy: something that describes the social and emotional pressures that operate in a gift economy.","c_root_id_A":"de81zj0","c_root_id_B":"de7kb6i","created_at_utc_A":1488080567,"created_at_utc_B":1488054788,"score_A":3,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"The other entries in this thread are good ones, so I'll add a couple. David Graeber's Debt covers a vast amount of ground, but synthesizes a lot of information on gift economies. Robert L. Kelly's The Foraging Spectrum heavily covers economic aspects of hunter-gatherer economies, although it's more oriented toward quant type behavioral ecology. Nevertheless, it has a wealth of info. Sahlins' Stone Age Economics is also worth checking out, although it's fairly dated now.","human_ref_B":"I would look for indigenous oral histories of potlach culture in coastal tribes.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":25779.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"5w2mto","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Any good ethnography focusing on a gift economy? I've already read \"The Gift\" by Lewis Hyde. I'm looking for any book or monograph about day-to-day life in a gift economy: something that describes the social and emotional pressures that operate in a gift economy.","c_root_id_A":"de7kg4y","c_root_id_B":"de81zj0","created_at_utc_A":1488054980,"created_at_utc_B":1488080567,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"The Enigma of the Gift by Godelier is also great. He adds interesting perspectives to Maus The Gift","human_ref_B":"The other entries in this thread are good ones, so I'll add a couple. David Graeber's Debt covers a vast amount of ground, but synthesizes a lot of information on gift economies. Robert L. Kelly's The Foraging Spectrum heavily covers economic aspects of hunter-gatherer economies, although it's more oriented toward quant type behavioral ecology. Nevertheless, it has a wealth of info. Sahlins' Stone Age Economics is also worth checking out, although it's fairly dated now.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":25587.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9n733h","c_root_id_B":"e9n08ru","created_at_utc_A":1542146890,"created_at_utc_B":1542141508,"score_A":37,"score_B":22,"human_ref_A":"First of all, classic anthropology isn't a discipline that is based on predicative models. Especially American anthropology -- which was in large part created by Franz Boas largely to \"salvage\" sources of indigenous knowledge, wisdom, and cultural aspects in hopes of creating a repository of data that could one day be used to identify structural components of human thought and culture. ​ The TLDR of the above paragraph being, \"We don't foretell the distant future.\" Otherwise we'd all be bestselling scifi authors, military consultants, and crystal ball seers. ​ A book you might find interesting is Malvin Harris's \"Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches.\" In it, he analyzes classic religious practices and figures out underlying functions that they serve in cultures. An easy example is the sacredness of cows in India. Harris came to the conclusion that this was a practice that evolved from the underlying usefulness of cows in that particular area of the world. A well-kept cow provides milk, yogurt calves, plowing of fields, manure for fertilization... many benefits beyond that of beef meat. As such, it became ingrained in culture that cows were not for eating. In essence, beliefs have a function. Otherwise they don't stick around. Obviously Ancient Egyptian religion (from around 5000 years ago) has not provided that function, and therefore has not persisted. The predominant religion in the world, Christianity, has been around for 2000 years, has probably provided the world with some function during that time, or else it would no longer exist; it is, however, shrinking. Hinduism is upwards of 3500 years old; Buddhism around 2500. Currently the fastest growing religions are Islam and atheistic\/none. One has to assume that each of these has a specific function, and that people are drawn to them based on their need at that point in time. Religious beliefs as a whole exist far beyond recorded history. So to answer your question: if there is a function of religion in ensuring the mental health of a given group of humans, it will continue to exist. I see our future plagued with a number of uncertainties in the future, and religion is most effective when used to account for factors beyond our control. We likely will have an impending refugee crisis in the near future as climate change forces demographic movements like nothing we've ever seen; I'd predict religion to be present through that. Should we make it to a space age -- as I would hope -- then I have no doubt that careful scientific knowledge and atheism will be very prevalent; I wouldn't be surprised if new religions arrive to fill the new gaps in knowledge that we will inevitable have. We have yet to figure out whether or not we'll be around as a species for the next 200 years. I'm more worried about that. But I -- personally -- have little doubt that religion, in some way, shape, or form, is pretty universal, and pretty integral to the human state of mind.","human_ref_B":"Syncretism all but guarantees that they will look almost nothing like they do today.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5382.0,"score_ratio":1.6818181818} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9n733h","c_root_id_B":"e9n074u","created_at_utc_A":1542146890,"created_at_utc_B":1542141472,"score_A":37,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"First of all, classic anthropology isn't a discipline that is based on predicative models. Especially American anthropology -- which was in large part created by Franz Boas largely to \"salvage\" sources of indigenous knowledge, wisdom, and cultural aspects in hopes of creating a repository of data that could one day be used to identify structural components of human thought and culture. ​ The TLDR of the above paragraph being, \"We don't foretell the distant future.\" Otherwise we'd all be bestselling scifi authors, military consultants, and crystal ball seers. ​ A book you might find interesting is Malvin Harris's \"Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches.\" In it, he analyzes classic religious practices and figures out underlying functions that they serve in cultures. An easy example is the sacredness of cows in India. Harris came to the conclusion that this was a practice that evolved from the underlying usefulness of cows in that particular area of the world. A well-kept cow provides milk, yogurt calves, plowing of fields, manure for fertilization... many benefits beyond that of beef meat. As such, it became ingrained in culture that cows were not for eating. In essence, beliefs have a function. Otherwise they don't stick around. Obviously Ancient Egyptian religion (from around 5000 years ago) has not provided that function, and therefore has not persisted. The predominant religion in the world, Christianity, has been around for 2000 years, has probably provided the world with some function during that time, or else it would no longer exist; it is, however, shrinking. Hinduism is upwards of 3500 years old; Buddhism around 2500. Currently the fastest growing religions are Islam and atheistic\/none. One has to assume that each of these has a specific function, and that people are drawn to them based on their need at that point in time. Religious beliefs as a whole exist far beyond recorded history. So to answer your question: if there is a function of religion in ensuring the mental health of a given group of humans, it will continue to exist. I see our future plagued with a number of uncertainties in the future, and religion is most effective when used to account for factors beyond our control. We likely will have an impending refugee crisis in the near future as climate change forces demographic movements like nothing we've ever seen; I'd predict religion to be present through that. Should we make it to a space age -- as I would hope -- then I have no doubt that careful scientific knowledge and atheism will be very prevalent; I wouldn't be surprised if new religions arrive to fill the new gaps in knowledge that we will inevitable have. We have yet to figure out whether or not we'll be around as a species for the next 200 years. I'm more worried about that. But I -- personally -- have little doubt that religion, in some way, shape, or form, is pretty universal, and pretty integral to the human state of mind.","human_ref_B":"I personally believe that even if \"Christianity\" or \"Islam\" or \"Judeism\" or whatever persist, they will be quite different then, as compared to what they are now. I think the likelihood that new religions take over is not so great for most countries, but some isolated countries could have their own new religions. Scientology for example could very well take over a country or two eventually. 5000 years is a long time. A lot could happen. What's different now than before, is some countries like Canada and US have charter of rights or constitution, which prevent the government from promoting a given religion. Religion has historically been a powerful tool of propaganda for any state, and it was spread by just sending people like missionaries for one, but also often conquest. In this day and age things are a little different. But as we can see with Scientology, we are not past creating new religions. In some countries religion might quite easily die out completely, but in a country like Saudi Arabia, it might be a lot more difficult for that to happen. But who knows? All it takes is one crazy war, and someone else holds the power in Saudi Arabia, and the elements upholding wahabbism are removed.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5418.0,"score_ratio":12.3333333333} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9n08ru","c_root_id_B":"e9n074u","created_at_utc_A":1542141508,"created_at_utc_B":1542141472,"score_A":22,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Syncretism all but guarantees that they will look almost nothing like they do today.","human_ref_B":"I personally believe that even if \"Christianity\" or \"Islam\" or \"Judeism\" or whatever persist, they will be quite different then, as compared to what they are now. I think the likelihood that new religions take over is not so great for most countries, but some isolated countries could have their own new religions. Scientology for example could very well take over a country or two eventually. 5000 years is a long time. A lot could happen. What's different now than before, is some countries like Canada and US have charter of rights or constitution, which prevent the government from promoting a given religion. Religion has historically been a powerful tool of propaganda for any state, and it was spread by just sending people like missionaries for one, but also often conquest. In this day and age things are a little different. But as we can see with Scientology, we are not past creating new religions. In some countries religion might quite easily die out completely, but in a country like Saudi Arabia, it might be a lot more difficult for that to happen. But who knows? All it takes is one crazy war, and someone else holds the power in Saudi Arabia, and the elements upholding wahabbism are removed.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":36.0,"score_ratio":7.3333333333} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9nprke","c_root_id_B":"e9na69x","created_at_utc_A":1542164003,"created_at_utc_B":1542149501,"score_A":7,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"From the Dune universe ~20,000 years in some future: \"ORANGE CATHOLIC BIBLE: the \"Accumulated Book,\" the religious text produced by the Commission of Ecumenical Translators. It contains elements of most ancient religions, including the Maometh Saari, Mahayana Christianity, Zensunni Catholicism and Buddislamic traditions. Its supreme commandment is considered to be: \"Thou shalt not disfigure the soul.\"","human_ref_B":"Considering the fact that many religions have yet to even make it that far, it is easy to say no. Some of the earliest widespread religions that you mentioned like the Egyptian religion did, in fact, die out, but for some, there are aspects of the religion that remain in practice for some religions. Then it comes to the question of in what definition do you mean practice? Practice in its current state or in a morphed and evolved state? I believe that Christianity has a strong chance of continuing for 5000 years in total but to survive for another is a really big stretch. I think all practices have to change and evolve as culture changes and evolves.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":14502.0,"score_ratio":1.4} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9nprke","c_root_id_B":"e9n074u","created_at_utc_A":1542164003,"created_at_utc_B":1542141472,"score_A":7,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"From the Dune universe ~20,000 years in some future: \"ORANGE CATHOLIC BIBLE: the \"Accumulated Book,\" the religious text produced by the Commission of Ecumenical Translators. It contains elements of most ancient religions, including the Maometh Saari, Mahayana Christianity, Zensunni Catholicism and Buddislamic traditions. Its supreme commandment is considered to be: \"Thou shalt not disfigure the soul.\"","human_ref_B":"I personally believe that even if \"Christianity\" or \"Islam\" or \"Judeism\" or whatever persist, they will be quite different then, as compared to what they are now. I think the likelihood that new religions take over is not so great for most countries, but some isolated countries could have their own new religions. Scientology for example could very well take over a country or two eventually. 5000 years is a long time. A lot could happen. What's different now than before, is some countries like Canada and US have charter of rights or constitution, which prevent the government from promoting a given religion. Religion has historically been a powerful tool of propaganda for any state, and it was spread by just sending people like missionaries for one, but also often conquest. In this day and age things are a little different. But as we can see with Scientology, we are not past creating new religions. In some countries religion might quite easily die out completely, but in a country like Saudi Arabia, it might be a lot more difficult for that to happen. But who knows? All it takes is one crazy war, and someone else holds the power in Saudi Arabia, and the elements upholding wahabbism are removed.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":22531.0,"score_ratio":2.3333333333} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9na69x","c_root_id_B":"e9nviky","created_at_utc_A":1542149501,"created_at_utc_B":1542169836,"score_A":5,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"Considering the fact that many religions have yet to even make it that far, it is easy to say no. Some of the earliest widespread religions that you mentioned like the Egyptian religion did, in fact, die out, but for some, there are aspects of the religion that remain in practice for some religions. Then it comes to the question of in what definition do you mean practice? Practice in its current state or in a morphed and evolved state? I believe that Christianity has a strong chance of continuing for 5000 years in total but to survive for another is a really big stretch. I think all practices have to change and evolve as culture changes and evolves.","human_ref_B":"Judaism is already over 3,000 years old. Although it\u2019s had many changes, the essence has remained the same, as have the holy texts, and worshipping ideals. It\u2019s immortal.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":20335.0,"score_ratio":1.4} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9n074u","c_root_id_B":"e9nviky","created_at_utc_A":1542141472,"created_at_utc_B":1542169836,"score_A":3,"score_B":7,"human_ref_A":"I personally believe that even if \"Christianity\" or \"Islam\" or \"Judeism\" or whatever persist, they will be quite different then, as compared to what they are now. I think the likelihood that new religions take over is not so great for most countries, but some isolated countries could have their own new religions. Scientology for example could very well take over a country or two eventually. 5000 years is a long time. A lot could happen. What's different now than before, is some countries like Canada and US have charter of rights or constitution, which prevent the government from promoting a given religion. Religion has historically been a powerful tool of propaganda for any state, and it was spread by just sending people like missionaries for one, but also often conquest. In this day and age things are a little different. But as we can see with Scientology, we are not past creating new religions. In some countries religion might quite easily die out completely, but in a country like Saudi Arabia, it might be a lot more difficult for that to happen. But who knows? All it takes is one crazy war, and someone else holds the power in Saudi Arabia, and the elements upholding wahabbism are removed.","human_ref_B":"Judaism is already over 3,000 years old. Although it\u2019s had many changes, the essence has remained the same, as have the holy texts, and worshipping ideals. It\u2019s immortal.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":28364.0,"score_ratio":2.3333333333} {"post_id":"9wsrdx","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.87,"history":"Do you think the current religious beliefs around the world will be practiced 5000 years in the future? The ancient religions of the Egyptians and old history seem to long be forgotten in the current times.. is it fair to assume the same for the religious beliefs of now to fade with time as well.","c_root_id_A":"e9na69x","c_root_id_B":"e9n074u","created_at_utc_A":1542149501,"created_at_utc_B":1542141472,"score_A":5,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Considering the fact that many religions have yet to even make it that far, it is easy to say no. Some of the earliest widespread religions that you mentioned like the Egyptian religion did, in fact, die out, but for some, there are aspects of the religion that remain in practice for some religions. Then it comes to the question of in what definition do you mean practice? Practice in its current state or in a morphed and evolved state? I believe that Christianity has a strong chance of continuing for 5000 years in total but to survive for another is a really big stretch. I think all practices have to change and evolve as culture changes and evolves.","human_ref_B":"I personally believe that even if \"Christianity\" or \"Islam\" or \"Judeism\" or whatever persist, they will be quite different then, as compared to what they are now. I think the likelihood that new religions take over is not so great for most countries, but some isolated countries could have their own new religions. Scientology for example could very well take over a country or two eventually. 5000 years is a long time. A lot could happen. What's different now than before, is some countries like Canada and US have charter of rights or constitution, which prevent the government from promoting a given religion. Religion has historically been a powerful tool of propaganda for any state, and it was spread by just sending people like missionaries for one, but also often conquest. In this day and age things are a little different. But as we can see with Scientology, we are not past creating new religions. In some countries religion might quite easily die out completely, but in a country like Saudi Arabia, it might be a lot more difficult for that to happen. But who knows? All it takes is one crazy war, and someone else holds the power in Saudi Arabia, and the elements upholding wahabbism are removed.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":8029.0,"score_ratio":1.6666666667} {"post_id":"3aaqbr","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.86,"history":"Could someone explain to me the difference between Assyrians and Arameans,and the nuances of Assyrian and Aramean identity if possible?","c_root_id_A":"cshecem","c_root_id_B":"csb62z6","created_at_utc_A":1435173986,"created_at_utc_B":1434662247,"score_A":6,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"I know this answer is a bit late, but I've done a fair bit of reading on the genetics and identity of modern Assyrians (and Arameans), so I would be very happy to share with you what I have found. It's a very complicated issue, so I will try to cover all core information. First of all, the modern people who call themselves Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac, and Aramean all belong to the same ethnoreligious group, sometimes called \"Syriac-speaking Christians,\" since they speak dialects of Neo-Aramaic, a modern form of Syriac. What really differentiates them from each other is church denomination. Assyrians belong to the Assyrian Church of the East, also known as the \"Nestorian\" Church. This is the oldest church of the three that Syriac Christians belong to. Chaldeans belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church that split off from the original Church of the East in 1551CE. Arameans and Syriacs belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church, also known as the \"Jacobite\" Church. Yet, they are all the same people, and the most commonly accepted label is the Assyrian one. The conflict between the people who identify and Assyrian and the people who identify as Aramean has severely divided this community. \"Arameans\" are almost always members of the Syriac Orthodox Church. However, \"Assyrians\" are found in all three churches, though, of course, they have the strongest presence in the Assyrian Church of the East. Modern Arameans believe that they descend from the ancient Arameans, a tribal people who likely originated from the Syrian desert in southern Syria. Modern Assyrians believe that they descend from the Neo-Assyrian Empire in northern Mesopotamia. This has caused an intense debate on the true origins and identity of the modern Assyrians. Personally, I have found the Assyrian side of the argument to be significantly better supported, via historical accounts, genetics, linguistics, and geographical location. However, there are scholars that support either side of the argument.","human_ref_B":"Just to be clear, you are talking about modern day people who identify as Assyrian and Aramean, rather than what the difference between ancient Assyria and Aram was, correct?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":511739.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"vm7g1u","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.78,"history":"Is it worth getting into anthropology? Ok, so basically in 2 months I'll be 11th grade in school and recently I've become very fascinated with anthropology and sociology. Now, there's only one college (that I know of in my country of Croatia) which is offering anthropology, ethnology and sociology as courses. But the thing is, I'm a person that's really interested in most social sciences and similar fields (history, sociology human geography, politics...), but I'm also very talented in some STEM fields, primarily geography and physics. Additionally, I go to a high school (which is basically an equivalent of a prep school) that's one of the best in the country, and even though we get truly excellent education in every social sciences, we are mostly focused on maths, computer science and physics. Basically, that means that I'll have at least 6-7 different career paths if I get discouraged from anthropology, but I'm willing to at least give it a shot before starting college just to see how it is. Now, my questions are: 1. is anthropology objectively difficult? (I'm more than aware that it greatly depends from college to college, but broadly speaking is it actually hard) 2. how good of a career can I have with a masters degree jn anthropology? Again, I'm more than aware that it depends on a billion factors, but generally can I have any job that offers a thriving career and not just a dull office job that is poorly payed 3. how to get started with the basics? I've found some material online for free from a 10 minute google search, but I'm wondering how should I get started, at least with some more basic concepts (books, videos, websites...) Any help is much appreciated!","c_root_id_A":"ie0xabj","c_root_id_B":"ie136wv","created_at_utc_A":1656397849,"created_at_utc_B":1656402620,"score_A":2,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Since you're also interested in STEM I take that you might consider biological anthropology, but I don't have any knowledge on that and I don't know what's the situation in Croatia. So this comment assumes that you're mostly interested in sociocultural anthro... 1. What's difficult for you? Maybe PhD students and professors here can give better answer for this question, but it depends on how you define difficult. Do you like reading? Because anthro will require you a lot of reading. But unlike other disciplines in social science (my bachelor is in polisci with communication minor, anthro is my master), I find that reading in anthro is more enjoyable to follow. Typically you have to read ethnographies, written in the form of stories. So it's like reading novels - but then they would conceptualize the stories you read into theories and usually the challenging part starts there. 2. I think it's better if you consult others in Croatia. As this largely depends on where you live and whether you're willing to live and work abroad. Also whether you want to pursue academia or industry. If you're considering industry, I can't speak for Croatia, but in my place (Southeast Asia), many anthro grads go to NGOs (especially UN styled developmentalist ones) and UX research. The latter is especially so considering tech industry has seen a rapid growth here and more and more companies are recruiting people with social science research background. And here NGOs are always open to anthropologists considering the countries are rife with development projects. I'm currently working in an Asia-Pacific NGO and it pays well. 3. I would've told you to search this sub, but I couldn't find some of these useful threads which I think due to Reddit doing some strange mass bans and suspensions a few months ago. Some threads with some great reading suggestions have went missing (I seriously can't comprehend why the hell Reddit had to remove those threads with the bans). All hope is not lost though and these are a few that I was able to find: * https:\/\/old.reddit.com\/r\/AskAnthropology\/comments\/3atzyh\/easiertoread_ethnographies_for_high_school\/ * https:\/\/old.reddit.com\/r\/AskAnthropology\/comments\/8ri31w\/good_starter_books\/ * See here how to access them https:\/\/old.reddit.com\/r\/AskAnthropology\/comments\/vgic7m\/is_there_any_option_where_i_can_read\/","human_ref_B":"I'm from Europe so maybe it doesn't relate to your reality. But I studied anthopology and in my promotion there were about 80 people. None of them is working in anything remotely related. One is a bus driver, another a taekwondo teacher, another is growing peanuts in Senegal... Some of us are now history teachers in highschools. If I could go back in time I would study something different. I loved it, but careerwise there are very few opportunities, at least in Europe. I mean, you should study whatever you want, then you'll work where you can, and antrhopology gives you a mindset and some intellectual tools that are quite useful. But I regret not studying something different and it was almost free for me. If you have to go into debt... Think about it bro. I wish you luck (By the way, read Levi Strauss Tristes Tropiques, you'll like it!)","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4771.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"25a7uj","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.83,"history":"Why does wealth = ascent in terms of living space, in both fact (penthouses, castles, etc...) and legends (Cloud City, Elysium, etc...)?","c_root_id_A":"chf90q3","c_root_id_B":"chf9tji","created_at_utc_A":1399826699,"created_at_utc_B":1399828870,"score_A":10,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"Some of this will be cultural (defence, privacy from overlookers), but I suspect some of it is innate. In the same way that humans tend to like lush natural scenes with water (== good spot to gather food), they also tend to like big sweeping views of the surrounding landscape (== good spot to keep a lookout for threats or game). That's just a guess, though. More recently, in the sort of civilized societies that generated recorded legends but didn't yet have modern sanitation, higher ground was also likely to be a lot healthier. Fewer disease vectors like mosquitoes, and you wouldn't have sewage channels running past you.","human_ref_B":"I don't have a complete answer, but according to this site elevators shifted things on modern buildings: >Before its widespread use, most buildings were capped at six or seven storeys, and their layouts varied widely between floors. Most striking, the wealthy once lived close to the ground, while the poor lived high, in starving-artist garrets.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":2171.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"3yc9ua","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Pre-industrialization, what were the different ways of handling newborn poop output? As the father of a newborn girl, I'm really intrigued about how people during different periods handled newborn poop output, especially in colder climates. I can imagine just leaving them run around naked worked great for humans in most places and times, however, in colder climates this wouldn't be feasible. Did people in the middle ages just do a lot of laundry? Did Viking and Inuit babies just Let It Go into a fur?!","c_root_id_A":"cycb8zk","c_root_id_B":"cycg0s2","created_at_utc_A":1451180810,"created_at_utc_B":1451190270,"score_A":14,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"This would be a good question for r\/askhistorians","human_ref_B":"Haudenosaunee Confederacy: cattail fluff in the diapers Great Lakes tribes: spangum moss (*very* absorbent) Kiowa: rabbit pelts.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9460.0,"score_ratio":1.0714285714} {"post_id":"3yc9ua","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Pre-industrialization, what were the different ways of handling newborn poop output? As the father of a newborn girl, I'm really intrigued about how people during different periods handled newborn poop output, especially in colder climates. I can imagine just leaving them run around naked worked great for humans in most places and times, however, in colder climates this wouldn't be feasible. Did people in the middle ages just do a lot of laundry? Did Viking and Inuit babies just Let It Go into a fur?!","c_root_id_A":"cycbzog","c_root_id_B":"cycg0s2","created_at_utc_A":1451182316,"created_at_utc_B":1451190270,"score_A":10,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"Moss was used frequently. Also, many people recognize when their kids are about to go and hold them out over the ground. I have friends who do this.","human_ref_B":"Haudenosaunee Confederacy: cattail fluff in the diapers Great Lakes tribes: spangum moss (*very* absorbent) Kiowa: rabbit pelts.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7954.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"3yc9ua","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Pre-industrialization, what were the different ways of handling newborn poop output? As the father of a newborn girl, I'm really intrigued about how people during different periods handled newborn poop output, especially in colder climates. I can imagine just leaving them run around naked worked great for humans in most places and times, however, in colder climates this wouldn't be feasible. Did people in the middle ages just do a lot of laundry? Did Viking and Inuit babies just Let It Go into a fur?!","c_root_id_A":"cycbesh","c_root_id_B":"cycg0s2","created_at_utc_A":1451181136,"created_at_utc_B":1451190270,"score_A":3,"score_B":15,"human_ref_A":"I've often wondered the same thing. Particularly in the hunter-gather context when people moved around alot.","human_ref_B":"Haudenosaunee Confederacy: cattail fluff in the diapers Great Lakes tribes: spangum moss (*very* absorbent) Kiowa: rabbit pelts.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":9134.0,"score_ratio":5.0} {"post_id":"3yc9ua","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.91,"history":"Pre-industrialization, what were the different ways of handling newborn poop output? As the father of a newborn girl, I'm really intrigued about how people during different periods handled newborn poop output, especially in colder climates. I can imagine just leaving them run around naked worked great for humans in most places and times, however, in colder climates this wouldn't be feasible. Did people in the middle ages just do a lot of laundry? Did Viking and Inuit babies just Let It Go into a fur?!","c_root_id_A":"cycbesh","c_root_id_B":"cycbzog","created_at_utc_A":1451181136,"created_at_utc_B":1451182316,"score_A":3,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"I've often wondered the same thing. Particularly in the hunter-gather context when people moved around alot.","human_ref_B":"Moss was used frequently. Also, many people recognize when their kids are about to go and hold them out over the ground. I have friends who do this.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1180.0,"score_ratio":3.3333333333} {"post_id":"4gdizh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.9,"history":"Due to our current airtight coffins, what will anthropology think of the 20th and 21st century? Until relatively recently people were just buried in the ground. Eventually, we added wooden boxes and finally today's coffins. Today you can get airtight caskets. This added to preservation measures that allows viewings. This slows the degradation of the body to a crawl by nature's standards. We buried our dead based around the thought that we came from the Earth and we needed to be returned to the Earth. Now we fight that off for as long as possible. How do you feel Anthropologist and Archaeologists will view our generations because of this?","c_root_id_A":"d2gwso6","c_root_id_B":"d2gs86a","created_at_utc_A":1461611553,"created_at_utc_B":1461605661,"score_A":7,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"> We buried our dead based around the thought that we came from the Earth and we needed to be returned to the Earth. [Citation needed] You also seem to be disregarding the large number of alternative funerary practices, many of which are just as traditional as burial in the ground.","human_ref_B":"They will probably read about the reasons we had for such sturdy burial enclosures.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5892.0,"score_ratio":2.3333333333} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhdvn53","c_root_id_B":"dhdsx1t","created_at_utc_A":1494440266,"created_at_utc_B":1494437433,"score_A":58,"score_B":38,"human_ref_A":"I was a dishwasher but I got promoted to prep cook.","human_ref_B":"Cultural resource management -- it's the biggest industry for archaeologists.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2833.0,"score_ratio":1.5263157895} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhdxnft","c_root_id_B":"dhdzvxq","created_at_utc_A":1494442410,"created_at_utc_B":1494444751,"score_A":9,"score_B":17,"human_ref_A":"Sales Manager","human_ref_B":"I'll answer for my wife as she's out digging STPs today. When she's in the field she walks miles (8-10 a day usually) through the desert looking at dirt. When she's in the office she mostly does paperwork and fights with horrible computer systems.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":2341.0,"score_ratio":1.8888888889} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhdzvxq","c_root_id_B":"dhdzvv9","created_at_utc_A":1494444751,"created_at_utc_B":1494444749,"score_A":17,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"I'll answer for my wife as she's out digging STPs today. When she's in the field she walks miles (8-10 a day usually) through the desert looking at dirt. When she's in the office she mostly does paperwork and fights with horrible computer systems.","human_ref_B":"Project work for a research institute. I'm an archaeologist though, not an anthropologist. Germany has a lot of opportunities for archaeologists. Whether it be field work or research. It's often unstable and tends to be contract based, so for a set period of time. But the work is there for sure, just need a couple of contacts to get started. I will be commencing my PhD shortly in the US which means I'll have to take some anthropology courses. After that I suppose we'll see. Have to survive it first.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2.0,"score_ratio":1.8888888889} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhdxnft","c_root_id_B":"dhe3t8r","created_at_utc_A":1494442410,"created_at_utc_B":1494448893,"score_A":9,"score_B":12,"human_ref_A":"Sales Manager","human_ref_B":"B.A. in Anthropology, working as a Software Engineer.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":6483.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhe3t8r","c_root_id_B":"dhe11zg","created_at_utc_A":1494448893,"created_at_utc_B":1494445958,"score_A":12,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"B.A. in Anthropology, working as a Software Engineer.","human_ref_B":"Bartender at a music venue haha","labels":1,"seconds_difference":2935.0,"score_ratio":1.2} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhdzvv9","c_root_id_B":"dhe3t8r","created_at_utc_A":1494444749,"created_at_utc_B":1494448893,"score_A":9,"score_B":12,"human_ref_A":"Project work for a research institute. I'm an archaeologist though, not an anthropologist. Germany has a lot of opportunities for archaeologists. Whether it be field work or research. It's often unstable and tends to be contract based, so for a set period of time. But the work is there for sure, just need a couple of contacts to get started. I will be commencing my PhD shortly in the US which means I'll have to take some anthropology courses. After that I suppose we'll see. Have to survive it first.","human_ref_B":"B.A. in Anthropology, working as a Software Engineer.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4144.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhejawl","c_root_id_B":"dhdxnft","created_at_utc_A":1494468228,"created_at_utc_B":1494442410,"score_A":11,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","human_ref_B":"Sales Manager","labels":1,"seconds_difference":25818.0,"score_ratio":1.2222222222} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhejawl","c_root_id_B":"dhe11zg","created_at_utc_A":1494468228,"created_at_utc_B":1494445958,"score_A":11,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","human_ref_B":"Bartender at a music venue haha","labels":1,"seconds_difference":22270.0,"score_ratio":1.1} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhdzvv9","c_root_id_B":"dhejawl","created_at_utc_A":1494444749,"created_at_utc_B":1494468228,"score_A":9,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"Project work for a research institute. I'm an archaeologist though, not an anthropologist. Germany has a lot of opportunities for archaeologists. Whether it be field work or research. It's often unstable and tends to be contract based, so for a set period of time. But the work is there for sure, just need a couple of contacts to get started. I will be commencing my PhD shortly in the US which means I'll have to take some anthropology courses. After that I suppose we'll see. Have to survive it first.","human_ref_B":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","labels":0,"seconds_difference":23479.0,"score_ratio":1.2222222222} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhejawl","c_root_id_B":"dhee2fn","created_at_utc_A":1494468228,"created_at_utc_B":1494461529,"score_A":11,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","human_ref_B":"Look into UX Research!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":6699.0,"score_ratio":1.8333333333} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhee899","c_root_id_B":"dhejawl","created_at_utc_A":1494461736,"created_at_utc_B":1494468228,"score_A":6,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"MA in anthropology (archaeology) here: I'm a Park Ranger. Love my career and so happy that anthropology gave me the skills to succeed at it.","human_ref_B":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","labels":0,"seconds_difference":6492.0,"score_ratio":1.8333333333} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhejawl","c_root_id_B":"dhe8n6b","created_at_utc_A":1494468228,"created_at_utc_B":1494454423,"score_A":11,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","human_ref_B":"Marketing","labels":1,"seconds_difference":13805.0,"score_ratio":2.75} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhe8wql","c_root_id_B":"dhejawl","created_at_utc_A":1494454758,"created_at_utc_B":1494468228,"score_A":3,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"IT Management in Higher Education.","human_ref_B":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","labels":0,"seconds_difference":13470.0,"score_ratio":3.6666666667} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhejawl","c_root_id_B":"dhe9l4s","created_at_utc_A":1494468228,"created_at_utc_B":1494455619,"score_A":11,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","human_ref_B":"I did fieldwork for 6 years. The work was fun, but definitely not stable. I went back to school to get a MA but in GIS because there were far more opportunities with that degree. However, I met my wife in grad school and didn't finish so now I'm a science teacher. No regrets.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":12609.0,"score_ratio":3.6666666667} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhejawl","c_root_id_B":"dhea6t8","created_at_utc_A":1494468228,"created_at_utc_B":1494456413,"score_A":11,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","human_ref_B":"I make maps for a series of nationally representative surveys of developing countries","labels":1,"seconds_difference":11815.0,"score_ratio":3.6666666667} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhejawl","c_root_id_B":"dhearbq","created_at_utc_A":1494468228,"created_at_utc_B":1494457139,"score_A":11,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","human_ref_B":"Graphic designer and Wordpress consultant","labels":1,"seconds_difference":11089.0,"score_ratio":3.6666666667} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dheautv","c_root_id_B":"dhejawl","created_at_utc_A":1494457266,"created_at_utc_B":1494468228,"score_A":3,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"Was in marketing and did educational seminars and panels on food allergen awareness, primarily at colleges and universities but also did a few stadiums and arenas. Wanted to pursue my PhD but became disabled. Blech.","human_ref_B":"Anthro PhD here. Work as a university lecturer. Interestingly enough, I regularly teach a class that in part gives students ideas as to what they might do with their sociocultural anthropological training. A very few of the examples are: * Doing research for NGOs and government in international development * Working on environmental issues * Working in NGOs in general, or acting as a consultant for them * Community organizing * Business consulting * Working in the tech industry to help companies shape their technologies (many large companies specifically hire anthropologists to help in the R&D phase: Nissan, Intel, Microsoft, etc.) * Working in the insurance industry in a research capacity (I've met a surprising number of anthropologists who work for insurance companies in this regard) * Working on food security issues, both domestically and around the world * Working in hospitals and other health settings as cultural brokers and organizational researchers * Becoming the founding president of postcolonial Kenya * Running the _Financial Times_ * Becoming an influential public intellectual (easier to do in Norway, apparently) Not all of these are necessarily things you'd do as a career, but anthropology can be a great way to develop a critical stance in the world and in most aspects of your life. To get even more of a sense of what you can do with anthropology, you might check out some of the schools that teach applied anthropology. A good list of these is on the Society for Applied Anthropology's website, at https:\/\/www.sfaa.net\/resources\/education\/ .","labels":0,"seconds_difference":10962.0,"score_ratio":3.6666666667} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhe11zg","c_root_id_B":"dhdxnft","created_at_utc_A":1494445958,"created_at_utc_B":1494442410,"score_A":10,"score_B":9,"human_ref_A":"Bartender at a music venue haha","human_ref_B":"Sales Manager","labels":1,"seconds_difference":3548.0,"score_ratio":1.1111111111} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhdzvv9","c_root_id_B":"dhe11zg","created_at_utc_A":1494444749,"created_at_utc_B":1494445958,"score_A":9,"score_B":10,"human_ref_A":"Project work for a research institute. I'm an archaeologist though, not an anthropologist. Germany has a lot of opportunities for archaeologists. Whether it be field work or research. It's often unstable and tends to be contract based, so for a set period of time. But the work is there for sure, just need a couple of contacts to get started. I will be commencing my PhD shortly in the US which means I'll have to take some anthropology courses. After that I suppose we'll see. Have to survive it first.","human_ref_B":"Bartender at a music venue haha","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1209.0,"score_ratio":1.1111111111} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhe8n6b","c_root_id_B":"dhee2fn","created_at_utc_A":1494454423,"created_at_utc_B":1494461529,"score_A":4,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Marketing","human_ref_B":"Look into UX Research!","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7106.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhe8wql","c_root_id_B":"dhee2fn","created_at_utc_A":1494454758,"created_at_utc_B":1494461529,"score_A":3,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"IT Management in Higher Education.","human_ref_B":"Look into UX Research!","labels":0,"seconds_difference":6771.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhee2fn","c_root_id_B":"dhe9l4s","created_at_utc_A":1494461529,"created_at_utc_B":1494455619,"score_A":6,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Look into UX Research!","human_ref_B":"I did fieldwork for 6 years. The work was fun, but definitely not stable. I went back to school to get a MA but in GIS because there were far more opportunities with that degree. However, I met my wife in grad school and didn't finish so now I'm a science teacher. No regrets.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5910.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhee2fn","c_root_id_B":"dhea6t8","created_at_utc_A":1494461529,"created_at_utc_B":1494456413,"score_A":6,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Look into UX Research!","human_ref_B":"I make maps for a series of nationally representative surveys of developing countries","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5116.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhearbq","c_root_id_B":"dhee2fn","created_at_utc_A":1494457139,"created_at_utc_B":1494461529,"score_A":3,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Graphic designer and Wordpress consultant","human_ref_B":"Look into UX Research!","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4390.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhee2fn","c_root_id_B":"dheautv","created_at_utc_A":1494461529,"created_at_utc_B":1494457266,"score_A":6,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Look into UX Research!","human_ref_B":"Was in marketing and did educational seminars and panels on food allergen awareness, primarily at colleges and universities but also did a few stadiums and arenas. Wanted to pursue my PhD but became disabled. Blech.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4263.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhe8n6b","c_root_id_B":"dhee899","created_at_utc_A":1494454423,"created_at_utc_B":1494461736,"score_A":4,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Marketing","human_ref_B":"MA in anthropology (archaeology) here: I'm a Park Ranger. Love my career and so happy that anthropology gave me the skills to succeed at it.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7313.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhe8wql","c_root_id_B":"dhee899","created_at_utc_A":1494454758,"created_at_utc_B":1494461736,"score_A":3,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"IT Management in Higher Education.","human_ref_B":"MA in anthropology (archaeology) here: I'm a Park Ranger. Love my career and so happy that anthropology gave me the skills to succeed at it.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":6978.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhee899","c_root_id_B":"dhe9l4s","created_at_utc_A":1494461736,"created_at_utc_B":1494455619,"score_A":6,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"MA in anthropology (archaeology) here: I'm a Park Ranger. Love my career and so happy that anthropology gave me the skills to succeed at it.","human_ref_B":"I did fieldwork for 6 years. The work was fun, but definitely not stable. I went back to school to get a MA but in GIS because there were far more opportunities with that degree. However, I met my wife in grad school and didn't finish so now I'm a science teacher. No regrets.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":6117.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhea6t8","c_root_id_B":"dhee899","created_at_utc_A":1494456413,"created_at_utc_B":1494461736,"score_A":3,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"I make maps for a series of nationally representative surveys of developing countries","human_ref_B":"MA in anthropology (archaeology) here: I'm a Park Ranger. Love my career and so happy that anthropology gave me the skills to succeed at it.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":5323.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dhee899","c_root_id_B":"dhearbq","created_at_utc_A":1494461736,"created_at_utc_B":1494457139,"score_A":6,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"MA in anthropology (archaeology) here: I'm a Park Ranger. Love my career and so happy that anthropology gave me the skills to succeed at it.","human_ref_B":"Graphic designer and Wordpress consultant","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4597.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"6adydn","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.95,"history":"Anthropologists what do you do as a job? I am studying anthropology in my university and I was wondering what are some of the jobs you guys been doing after you graduated it? I want to hear some ideas that can suggest me in the types of jobs and research I want to partake in. :)","c_root_id_A":"dheautv","c_root_id_B":"dhee899","created_at_utc_A":1494457266,"created_at_utc_B":1494461736,"score_A":3,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Was in marketing and did educational seminars and panels on food allergen awareness, primarily at colleges and universities but also did a few stadiums and arenas. Wanted to pursue my PhD but became disabled. Blech.","human_ref_B":"MA in anthropology (archaeology) here: I'm a Park Ranger. Love my career and so happy that anthropology gave me the skills to succeed at it.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":4470.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"eaap6x","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.74,"history":"Can anthropology help me better understand the many religions of the world? I\u2019m finding it very confusing, you\u2019re very intriguing, how there are so many different religions in the world. Can anthropology help me categorize and clearly understand these many differences?","c_root_id_A":"faq27d6","c_root_id_B":"fau72nl","created_at_utc_A":1576296757,"created_at_utc_B":1576345126,"score_A":3,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"That is entirely dependent on how you define understand. Religion is a big topic and there are many ways to look at it. Certainly anthropology can be very helpful for addressing things like the role of ritual cross-culturally, how power and authority can co-opt religious institutions, or the non-written history of particular religions through their associated material culture. But I find anthropology is much better at explicating a subject than it is at explaining it.","human_ref_B":"My phd focus was anthropology of religion. In undergrad I majored in anthropology, which covered religion in a variety of ways from evolutionary explanations to archaeological lenses to cross cultural analyses and deep dives into specific traditions and how they form worldviews & values. But I also minored in religious studies and found it very valuable to have a deeper understanding of theology, philosophy of religion, and practice. In grad school, of course, you're encouraged to take additional courses outside anthropology so you have a firm grasp on the sub focus you've picked. That cross disciplinary approach is valuable and I wouldn't want to claim anthro is the only lens to explore this topic. That being said we're happy to suggest readings or help you pick an elective that will let you explore religion around the world. Is there something specific you want to know?","labels":0,"seconds_difference":48369.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"eaap6x","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.74,"history":"Can anthropology help me better understand the many religions of the world? I\u2019m finding it very confusing, you\u2019re very intriguing, how there are so many different religions in the world. Can anthropology help me categorize and clearly understand these many differences?","c_root_id_A":"fas3g2i","c_root_id_B":"fau72nl","created_at_utc_A":1576323091,"created_at_utc_B":1576345126,"score_A":3,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"If you want an overview of the history of anthropological research in religion I would suggest '8 Theories of Religion' (or versions 7 or 9, just keeps adding more chapters) by Daniel Pals. This won't necessarily answer your question, because current anthropologists in general will likely be cautious to specifically categorise all world 'religions' (or even define religion) but would be an interesting read if you want to know how (mind that some of the texts are quite old and racist, ie Tylor and 'Primitive Religion') this question has been appraoched in the field.","human_ref_B":"My phd focus was anthropology of religion. In undergrad I majored in anthropology, which covered religion in a variety of ways from evolutionary explanations to archaeological lenses to cross cultural analyses and deep dives into specific traditions and how they form worldviews & values. But I also minored in religious studies and found it very valuable to have a deeper understanding of theology, philosophy of religion, and practice. In grad school, of course, you're encouraged to take additional courses outside anthropology so you have a firm grasp on the sub focus you've picked. That cross disciplinary approach is valuable and I wouldn't want to claim anthro is the only lens to explore this topic. That being said we're happy to suggest readings or help you pick an elective that will let you explore religion around the world. Is there something specific you want to know?","labels":0,"seconds_difference":22035.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"30xz4a","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.82,"history":"Why weren't there any big civilizations in southern Africa? Hi, I was thinking a few days ago that I could name great civilizations from every continent, except maybe north america and southern africa. Southern Africa being mainly what in spanish is called \"black africa\", but I'm not sure how to translate it. The distinction being that in northern Africa, Egypt is an obvious example, but the ethnicity (is this the word?) is clearly different. By great civilizations I mean people who lived in cities, their existence spanned at least a century and had some sort of architecture and big constructions like pyramids, machu pichu, the coliseum, etc. I know it's an arbitrary and probably useless definition, but it's what I think of when someone says \"civilization\". This strikes me as odd because men came from Africa, specifically the souther part apparently, so one would expect African populations, being around the longest time, to have developed the greatest, most ancient civilizations. Just like you hear that some chinese dynasty existed 2000 years ago, why don't we hear of tales of African Kings that lived 3000 years ago? It doesn't seem remarkable that native north americans didn't develop any sort of big civilizations because they simply weren't around as long as europeans or asians. You could argue that Incas were probably around pretty much the same time and managed it though. I realize it's not just a matter of \"being around for enough time\", but since that's the only factor I can think of, I'm asking here. What other factor prevented the southern\/black population of Africa, in spite of being the first ones around, to develop into a full fledeged \"ancient civilization\" like the chinese, japanese, romans, greeks, incas, mayas, etc.? Disclaimer: I tried to word this question as carefully as I could, and I don't mean to offend anyone by it. It's an honest question with no implications behind it. If you feel offended by the particular wording of the question let me know and I'll change it, I'm not a native speaker and I'm bound to make mistakes or not express exactly what I want to.","c_root_id_A":"cpwtolu","c_root_id_B":"cpwuwv0","created_at_utc_A":1427821162,"created_at_utc_B":1427823049,"score_A":19,"score_B":38,"human_ref_A":"Check out the Great Zimbabwe","human_ref_B":"The Mutapas?, the Zulus?, The indian Ocean trade reached as far south as Madagascar, and possibly further, and This Wikipedia template has a whole host of topics on Southern African political history. Much of Africa's pre-colonial history is shrouded by bias, but it is also important to note that Southern Africa has been relatively isolated by jungle and desert through much of its history, giving it less direct access to the advancements of Northern African and Eurasia.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1887.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"30xz4a","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.82,"history":"Why weren't there any big civilizations in southern Africa? Hi, I was thinking a few days ago that I could name great civilizations from every continent, except maybe north america and southern africa. Southern Africa being mainly what in spanish is called \"black africa\", but I'm not sure how to translate it. The distinction being that in northern Africa, Egypt is an obvious example, but the ethnicity (is this the word?) is clearly different. By great civilizations I mean people who lived in cities, their existence spanned at least a century and had some sort of architecture and big constructions like pyramids, machu pichu, the coliseum, etc. I know it's an arbitrary and probably useless definition, but it's what I think of when someone says \"civilization\". This strikes me as odd because men came from Africa, specifically the souther part apparently, so one would expect African populations, being around the longest time, to have developed the greatest, most ancient civilizations. Just like you hear that some chinese dynasty existed 2000 years ago, why don't we hear of tales of African Kings that lived 3000 years ago? It doesn't seem remarkable that native north americans didn't develop any sort of big civilizations because they simply weren't around as long as europeans or asians. You could argue that Incas were probably around pretty much the same time and managed it though. I realize it's not just a matter of \"being around for enough time\", but since that's the only factor I can think of, I'm asking here. What other factor prevented the southern\/black population of Africa, in spite of being the first ones around, to develop into a full fledeged \"ancient civilization\" like the chinese, japanese, romans, greeks, incas, mayas, etc.? Disclaimer: I tried to word this question as carefully as I could, and I don't mean to offend anyone by it. It's an honest question with no implications behind it. If you feel offended by the particular wording of the question let me know and I'll change it, I'm not a native speaker and I'm bound to make mistakes or not express exactly what I want to.","c_root_id_A":"cpx4fyz","c_root_id_B":"cpx7dr4","created_at_utc_A":1427837748,"created_at_utc_B":1427842781,"score_A":3,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/AskHistorians\/comments\/11bv4x\/why_were_there_so_few_empires_in_africa\/ There were lots of african Empires >Not an expert but there are actually more than you probably think. Part of the issue is few of them as far as I know had writting. On top of that they are rarely if ever covered in standard curiculum (I'm assuming you are U.S.). Having said that I actually did have a little bit about Mali and Ghana in High School. Didn't really learn about the others until I took an African History course in college. Unfortunately at this point I've lost quite a bit of that information from my memory. I can't really say if there were actully fewer empires in African than elsewhere though. Short list of a few: Aksum Kingdom[1] , Songhai Empire[2] , Oyo Empire[3] , Benin Empire[4] , and Kingdom of Mutapa[5] the builders of Great Zimbabwe[6] Edit: I should say that I don't know of any that had writing that weren't either in North Africa or had come about during or after the expansion of Islam into North, East and West Africa (Timbuktu was well know as a center of knowledge after all). - >Adding Luba[1] , Lunda[2] , Kongo[3] , Ndongo[4] , Sokoto[5] , and Ashanti[6] . Bias in teaching history is the cause of Africa seeming \"least developed,\" there's a wealth of history just waiting to be learned.","human_ref_B":"North America has the pueblos, Mississippians, calusa, maya, Aztec, Zapotec, and Mixtec city builders among a host of others.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":5033.0,"score_ratio":1.3333333333} {"post_id":"30xz4a","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.82,"history":"Why weren't there any big civilizations in southern Africa? Hi, I was thinking a few days ago that I could name great civilizations from every continent, except maybe north america and southern africa. Southern Africa being mainly what in spanish is called \"black africa\", but I'm not sure how to translate it. The distinction being that in northern Africa, Egypt is an obvious example, but the ethnicity (is this the word?) is clearly different. By great civilizations I mean people who lived in cities, their existence spanned at least a century and had some sort of architecture and big constructions like pyramids, machu pichu, the coliseum, etc. I know it's an arbitrary and probably useless definition, but it's what I think of when someone says \"civilization\". This strikes me as odd because men came from Africa, specifically the souther part apparently, so one would expect African populations, being around the longest time, to have developed the greatest, most ancient civilizations. Just like you hear that some chinese dynasty existed 2000 years ago, why don't we hear of tales of African Kings that lived 3000 years ago? It doesn't seem remarkable that native north americans didn't develop any sort of big civilizations because they simply weren't around as long as europeans or asians. You could argue that Incas were probably around pretty much the same time and managed it though. I realize it's not just a matter of \"being around for enough time\", but since that's the only factor I can think of, I'm asking here. What other factor prevented the southern\/black population of Africa, in spite of being the first ones around, to develop into a full fledeged \"ancient civilization\" like the chinese, japanese, romans, greeks, incas, mayas, etc.? Disclaimer: I tried to word this question as carefully as I could, and I don't mean to offend anyone by it. It's an honest question with no implications behind it. If you feel offended by the particular wording of the question let me know and I'll change it, I'm not a native speaker and I'm bound to make mistakes or not express exactly what I want to.","c_root_id_A":"cpx417q","c_root_id_B":"cpx4fyz","created_at_utc_A":1427837075,"created_at_utc_B":1427837748,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"For North America, wouldn't the Aztecs count?","human_ref_B":"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/AskHistorians\/comments\/11bv4x\/why_were_there_so_few_empires_in_africa\/ There were lots of african Empires >Not an expert but there are actually more than you probably think. Part of the issue is few of them as far as I know had writting. On top of that they are rarely if ever covered in standard curiculum (I'm assuming you are U.S.). Having said that I actually did have a little bit about Mali and Ghana in High School. Didn't really learn about the others until I took an African History course in college. Unfortunately at this point I've lost quite a bit of that information from my memory. I can't really say if there were actully fewer empires in African than elsewhere though. Short list of a few: Aksum Kingdom[1] , Songhai Empire[2] , Oyo Empire[3] , Benin Empire[4] , and Kingdom of Mutapa[5] the builders of Great Zimbabwe[6] Edit: I should say that I don't know of any that had writing that weren't either in North Africa or had come about during or after the expansion of Islam into North, East and West Africa (Timbuktu was well know as a center of knowledge after all). - >Adding Luba[1] , Lunda[2] , Kongo[3] , Ndongo[4] , Sokoto[5] , and Ashanti[6] . Bias in teaching history is the cause of Africa seeming \"least developed,\" there's a wealth of history just waiting to be learned.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":673.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"30xz4a","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.82,"history":"Why weren't there any big civilizations in southern Africa? Hi, I was thinking a few days ago that I could name great civilizations from every continent, except maybe north america and southern africa. Southern Africa being mainly what in spanish is called \"black africa\", but I'm not sure how to translate it. The distinction being that in northern Africa, Egypt is an obvious example, but the ethnicity (is this the word?) is clearly different. By great civilizations I mean people who lived in cities, their existence spanned at least a century and had some sort of architecture and big constructions like pyramids, machu pichu, the coliseum, etc. I know it's an arbitrary and probably useless definition, but it's what I think of when someone says \"civilization\". This strikes me as odd because men came from Africa, specifically the souther part apparently, so one would expect African populations, being around the longest time, to have developed the greatest, most ancient civilizations. Just like you hear that some chinese dynasty existed 2000 years ago, why don't we hear of tales of African Kings that lived 3000 years ago? It doesn't seem remarkable that native north americans didn't develop any sort of big civilizations because they simply weren't around as long as europeans or asians. You could argue that Incas were probably around pretty much the same time and managed it though. I realize it's not just a matter of \"being around for enough time\", but since that's the only factor I can think of, I'm asking here. What other factor prevented the southern\/black population of Africa, in spite of being the first ones around, to develop into a full fledeged \"ancient civilization\" like the chinese, japanese, romans, greeks, incas, mayas, etc.? Disclaimer: I tried to word this question as carefully as I could, and I don't mean to offend anyone by it. It's an honest question with no implications behind it. If you feel offended by the particular wording of the question let me know and I'll change it, I'm not a native speaker and I'm bound to make mistakes or not express exactly what I want to.","c_root_id_A":"cpx7dr4","c_root_id_B":"cpx417q","created_at_utc_A":1427842781,"created_at_utc_B":1427837075,"score_A":4,"score_B":2,"human_ref_A":"North America has the pueblos, Mississippians, calusa, maya, Aztec, Zapotec, and Mixtec city builders among a host of others.","human_ref_B":"For North America, wouldn't the Aztecs count?","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5706.0,"score_ratio":2.0} {"post_id":"3wn1we","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.83,"history":"Anyone willing to identify a bone? http:\/\/imgur.com\/a\/FtVsN Found on the coast among ancient petrified trees that are part of a fairly recently revealed marine clay\/ peat layer (which I think was the floor of the coastal wetlands where hunter gatherers existed back in the day. Any help in identification would be appreciated.","c_root_id_A":"cxxolxm","c_root_id_B":"cxxii8u","created_at_utc_A":1450031078,"created_at_utc_B":1450019627,"score_A":10,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Hi there. I took zooarchaeology and stared at these for hours. It is not human, but also not a tibia. It is likely a metapodial, specifically, metatarsal, which are analogous to a fused human metatarsal. Edit: clarification 2nd edit: metacarpal to metatarsal thanks \/u\/Thanatocoenose","human_ref_B":"if it's dense and heavy, I'd say it's the distal end of a tibia (or the non-human equivalent)","labels":1,"seconds_difference":11451.0,"score_ratio":2.5} {"post_id":"ae04ea","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.75,"history":"What is the name of the bone used to determine the sex of a skeleton? I really hope this is the right sub for this. I know it's the pelvis but what's the scientific name of the specific part of the pelvis?","c_root_id_A":"edlplbt","c_root_id_B":"edli1hi","created_at_utc_A":1546997709,"created_at_utc_B":1546991480,"score_A":35,"score_B":16,"human_ref_A":"So no one bone is used to determine sex, as sex in the skeleton tends to look more like a bell curve at a population level. There are females with male characteristics and vice versa. That being said, forensic anthropologist and bioarchaeologists generally follow the rule of using multiple traits and measurements across the skeleton to average together for a numerical probability of sex. On the pelvis we look at the greater sciatic notch, angle of the pubis, gracile (or not) slope of the subpubic arch. The skull also holds clues in the slope of the forehead, shape of the mandible, mastoid process, and various others. These traits are combined with measurements of long bones to determine a probable sex of either Very Male, Probable Male, unknown, Probable Female, or Very Female.","human_ref_B":"The os coxa! (Which is comprised of 3 bones: the ilium, ischium, and pubis, but all 3 bones have features that can be used to sex individuals).","labels":1,"seconds_difference":6229.0,"score_ratio":2.1875} {"post_id":"k9vryp","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.77,"history":"Graduate School Research Ideas??? Heu there! I'm a recent Anthropology and Global Studies undergrad graduate, and I'm working on applying for grad schools for Fall 2021 in Anthropology. One of the things that the personal statements ask for is potential research interests, and while I have broad concepts for things I'm interested in (migration, development, globalization, transformation, archival) I don't have any idea what kind of specific research projects I'd want to work on. Do I need to have a specific project already laid out by the time I enter my Masters? I feel like I don't have any idea how to narrow down my interests into something specific, how do you all go about the process?","c_root_id_A":"gf6wlnm","c_root_id_B":"gf72o4f","created_at_utc_A":1607537751,"created_at_utc_B":1607540519,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Echoing what was said above. Look at any articles or research you read as an undergrad and look those authors up. See what their programs are like, and see who they\u2019re in conversation with. That will get you some potential starting points. I would also point out that you may want to consider NOT pursuing grad school at this time. COVID has affected many school\u2019s admissions, and with the shutdown some departments are also facing severe cuts or threats of cuts. They may not be able to support any new people or all of their existing students. Consider also that anthro grad school is meant to be a comprehensive experience, even more than 4-year college. You should be working closely in a lab with your supervisors OR at least taking seminars TA-ing for instructors who you want to work with. As someone who computed for their MA outside a pandemic, I dearly missed my cohort and it shaped my experience in a very different way because I wasn\u2019t there as much. Depending on your MA, it may or may not be designed for \u201cprofessionals\u201d (ie night classes in easy clusters to schedule). But all of that aside, zooming for seminar just isn\u2019t the same as a PhD student. The irony is I\u2019m much closer to campus and yet can\u2019t go to classes. YMMV if you are outside the USA, but please consider how COVID will affect your funding, employment, and learning opportunities and experiences.","human_ref_B":">Do I need to have a specific project already laid out by the time I enter my Masters? Not necessarily. But consider that graduate student loans are not eligible for interest subsidies anymore, so you begin accruing interest on loans as soon as they're taken out. The less time you spend in a graduate program, the better. So while you don't have to have a project figured out when you start an MA (at least, in the US), it can be a good idea to have narrowed things down quite a bit. >I feel like I don't have any idea how to narrow down my interests into something specific, how do you all go about the process? Most graduate programs in the US include core theory \/ method courses in the 4 subfields. These, coupled with other coursework and research in your first year, can help narrow down ideas. A good rule of thumb is to treat every graduate school paper as an opportunity to work on something that can be used in your thesis or dissertation. While that can be more difficult early on, if you're diligent, you can often come up with ideas fairly quickly.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":2768.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"e8autd","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"Sacred institution of friendship Has there ever been a sacred institution of friendship, between man and man and woman and woman, like that of marriage between woman and man? If there hasn\u2019t been, why not? A union *within* the sexes seems equally important as that of a union *between* the sexes?","c_root_id_A":"fab6bul","c_root_id_B":"fab4ija","created_at_utc_A":1575918410,"created_at_utc_B":1575917641,"score_A":13,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"To address this question, it's important to understand first of all that there have been all kinds of marriages in human history -- between any combination of genders. Marriage is about many things -- managing\/controlling labor, managing property, procreation, sexuality, companionship, love, authority, alliance, etc. Whether marriage itself is considered \"sacred\" really depends on cultural\/historical context, as well as how you define both \"marriage\" and \"sacred\" -- definitions that are by no means universally agreed upon. A few things will help you clarify your question: - Neither sex nor romantic love are exclusive to heterosexual pairings. Nor is marriage (although marriage has been reserved for heterosexual pairings in certain contexts at various points in time) - Most marriage in human history has been more about property, labor and power than love or sex, though these things can be tangled together in messy ways - Friendship is not always between people of the same gender. To answer your question with all that in mind, yes. Again, depending on how you define \"sacred\", there are many institutions that might fit this description. Consider institutions of \"blood brothers\" in many cultures including many European ones. Or for a more specific example, you might think about woman-woman marriages in East Africa, which researchers have argued are about a variety of things including emotional bonds as well as \"practical\" matters of reproduction, household labor, property, social status, etc. (e.g. see this work by Njambi & O'Brien). Friendship is understudied in anthropology though there are a couple of edited volumes, one edited by Bell and Coleman, and another edited by Desai and Killick, which might be of interest. Desai's chapter in the latter is about \"ritual friendship\" in India which seems like the kind of institution you're interested in.","human_ref_B":"Laotong. Literally all I know about it is from the novel Snow Flower And The Secret Fan by Lisa See, but it is a formal, life-long friendship between two women, arranged by a matchmaker when they are children.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":769.0,"score_ratio":4.3333333333} {"post_id":"e8autd","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"Sacred institution of friendship Has there ever been a sacred institution of friendship, between man and man and woman and woman, like that of marriage between woman and man? If there hasn\u2019t been, why not? A union *within* the sexes seems equally important as that of a union *between* the sexes?","c_root_id_A":"fab0txd","c_root_id_B":"fab6bul","created_at_utc_A":1575916200,"created_at_utc_B":1575918410,"score_A":2,"score_B":13,"human_ref_A":"It depends on the meaning of \"friendship\" and what you mean ala what does society mean when they use the word friendship. These ideas are taken up by blancot, derrida, etc, and as someone here mentioned L\u00e9vi-Strauss, you could look at a more anthropological structures of matriarchal societies ala Lewis H. Morgan","human_ref_B":"To address this question, it's important to understand first of all that there have been all kinds of marriages in human history -- between any combination of genders. Marriage is about many things -- managing\/controlling labor, managing property, procreation, sexuality, companionship, love, authority, alliance, etc. Whether marriage itself is considered \"sacred\" really depends on cultural\/historical context, as well as how you define both \"marriage\" and \"sacred\" -- definitions that are by no means universally agreed upon. A few things will help you clarify your question: - Neither sex nor romantic love are exclusive to heterosexual pairings. Nor is marriage (although marriage has been reserved for heterosexual pairings in certain contexts at various points in time) - Most marriage in human history has been more about property, labor and power than love or sex, though these things can be tangled together in messy ways - Friendship is not always between people of the same gender. To answer your question with all that in mind, yes. Again, depending on how you define \"sacred\", there are many institutions that might fit this description. Consider institutions of \"blood brothers\" in many cultures including many European ones. Or for a more specific example, you might think about woman-woman marriages in East Africa, which researchers have argued are about a variety of things including emotional bonds as well as \"practical\" matters of reproduction, household labor, property, social status, etc. (e.g. see this work by Njambi & O'Brien). Friendship is understudied in anthropology though there are a couple of edited volumes, one edited by Bell and Coleman, and another edited by Desai and Killick, which might be of interest. Desai's chapter in the latter is about \"ritual friendship\" in India which seems like the kind of institution you're interested in.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":2210.0,"score_ratio":6.5} {"post_id":"e8autd","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"Sacred institution of friendship Has there ever been a sacred institution of friendship, between man and man and woman and woman, like that of marriage between woman and man? If there hasn\u2019t been, why not? A union *within* the sexes seems equally important as that of a union *between* the sexes?","c_root_id_A":"fab0txd","c_root_id_B":"fab4ija","created_at_utc_A":1575916200,"created_at_utc_B":1575917641,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"It depends on the meaning of \"friendship\" and what you mean ala what does society mean when they use the word friendship. These ideas are taken up by blancot, derrida, etc, and as someone here mentioned L\u00e9vi-Strauss, you could look at a more anthropological structures of matriarchal societies ala Lewis H. Morgan","human_ref_B":"Laotong. Literally all I know about it is from the novel Snow Flower And The Secret Fan by Lisa See, but it is a formal, life-long friendship between two women, arranged by a matchmaker when they are children.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":1441.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"e8autd","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.94,"history":"Sacred institution of friendship Has there ever been a sacred institution of friendship, between man and man and woman and woman, like that of marriage between woman and man? If there hasn\u2019t been, why not? A union *within* the sexes seems equally important as that of a union *between* the sexes?","c_root_id_A":"fab0txd","c_root_id_B":"fac3k11","created_at_utc_A":1575916200,"created_at_utc_B":1575932993,"score_A":2,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"It depends on the meaning of \"friendship\" and what you mean ala what does society mean when they use the word friendship. These ideas are taken up by blancot, derrida, etc, and as someone here mentioned L\u00e9vi-Strauss, you could look at a more anthropological structures of matriarchal societies ala Lewis H. Morgan","human_ref_B":"I have a paper somewhere about a sacred sibling bond in the Yezidi community. They choose another person that they are not related to by blood and they bond for life, and supposedly the person that dies first gets to greet the other one in the afterlife. I don\u2019t remember the name of the practice, but I can dig around my files, if needed. Significantly, IIRC gender is irrelevant.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":16793.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"uydhop","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.92,"history":"ethnographer career how do you become an ethnographer? what's the pay like? is the job in demand? would you recommend becoming one? any info about this career would be appreciated!","c_root_id_A":"ia5cbvu","c_root_id_B":"ia5moo0","created_at_utc_A":1653619980,"created_at_utc_B":1653625606,"score_A":3,"score_B":5,"human_ref_A":"Business Analysis dovetails well with anthropology. It\u2019s looking at a business culture and the processes and efficiencies. It had an ethnographic component.","human_ref_B":"Check out the EPIC industry ethnography conference community, they'll have a fair number of resources and networks to engage with. https:\/\/2022.epicpeople.org\/","labels":0,"seconds_difference":5626.0,"score_ratio":1.6666666667} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwvcrkg","c_root_id_B":"fwvmcb4","created_at_utc_A":1593833435,"created_at_utc_B":1593840646,"score_A":9,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"Rutgers- New Brunswick\u2019s department of anthropology has voted not to take GRE scores. I believe it is possible to earn your masters as well, a former lab member of the lab I am affiliated with left for UMN.","human_ref_B":"For many grad programs, the GRE is a university requirement and not a department one. If you can demonstrate your value otherwise, your department will vouch for you and see that you can get in. Most PhD programs, if they are stand-alone programs, will get you your Masters along the way. What does it require to get in? Let's consider my first-year cohort. There were just five of us, and we had drastically varying prior experiences. I was the only one with a BA in anthro; others had history, psychology, or cultural studies. When I applied, I had five years of fieldwork and multiple conference presentations. Others had scholarly publications, Masters degrees, or even none of the above. But what we all had were: 1. Clearly defined research interests. 2. Professors in the department uniquely suited to those interests. You *will not* get in if you do not narrow your interests and find programs specific to that. If, right now. you're not sure if you want to study bioarchaeology, archaeology, or human evolution, *seriously* reconsider why you want to get a PhD. Getting a PhD in many fields has been a stupid idea for the past 10 years. It's only become stupider with current global events. Do you really want to commit the next 6-10 years of your life to professionally stagnating? I spent 6 years preparing for a very specific trajectory before grad school and even then I still question why I'm here.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":7211.0,"score_ratio":1.2222222222} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwuwpot","c_root_id_B":"fwvmcb4","created_at_utc_A":1593822767,"created_at_utc_B":1593840646,"score_A":4,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has some pretty generous leeway on the GRE scores. I did not do well at all on the math section, but they still accepted me and I'll be going there this Fall. Further, the anthropology program has a very good reputation and respect, if that means anything to you. The federal pathways program might interest you https:\/\/www.usajobs.gov\/Help\/working-in-government\/unique-hiring-paths\/students\/ Depending on what you're looking for, you can work and get your education at the same time, even have your tuition covered as part of your salary!","human_ref_B":"For many grad programs, the GRE is a university requirement and not a department one. If you can demonstrate your value otherwise, your department will vouch for you and see that you can get in. Most PhD programs, if they are stand-alone programs, will get you your Masters along the way. What does it require to get in? Let's consider my first-year cohort. There were just five of us, and we had drastically varying prior experiences. I was the only one with a BA in anthro; others had history, psychology, or cultural studies. When I applied, I had five years of fieldwork and multiple conference presentations. Others had scholarly publications, Masters degrees, or even none of the above. But what we all had were: 1. Clearly defined research interests. 2. Professors in the department uniquely suited to those interests. You *will not* get in if you do not narrow your interests and find programs specific to that. If, right now. you're not sure if you want to study bioarchaeology, archaeology, or human evolution, *seriously* reconsider why you want to get a PhD. Getting a PhD in many fields has been a stupid idea for the past 10 years. It's only become stupider with current global events. Do you really want to commit the next 6-10 years of your life to professionally stagnating? I spent 6 years preparing for a very specific trajectory before grad school and even then I still question why I'm here.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":17879.0,"score_ratio":2.75} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwv408a","c_root_id_B":"fwvmcb4","created_at_utc_A":1593827481,"created_at_utc_B":1593840646,"score_A":6,"score_B":11,"human_ref_A":"GREs don\u2019t really matter; you can get into a number of amazing programs with a clearly focused statement of purpose and some glowing recommendation letters.","human_ref_B":"For many grad programs, the GRE is a university requirement and not a department one. If you can demonstrate your value otherwise, your department will vouch for you and see that you can get in. Most PhD programs, if they are stand-alone programs, will get you your Masters along the way. What does it require to get in? Let's consider my first-year cohort. There were just five of us, and we had drastically varying prior experiences. I was the only one with a BA in anthro; others had history, psychology, or cultural studies. When I applied, I had five years of fieldwork and multiple conference presentations. Others had scholarly publications, Masters degrees, or even none of the above. But what we all had were: 1. Clearly defined research interests. 2. Professors in the department uniquely suited to those interests. You *will not* get in if you do not narrow your interests and find programs specific to that. If, right now. you're not sure if you want to study bioarchaeology, archaeology, or human evolution, *seriously* reconsider why you want to get a PhD. Getting a PhD in many fields has been a stupid idea for the past 10 years. It's only become stupider with current global events. Do you really want to commit the next 6-10 years of your life to professionally stagnating? I spent 6 years preparing for a very specific trajectory before grad school and even then I still question why I'm here.","labels":0,"seconds_difference":13165.0,"score_ratio":1.8333333333} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwvmcb4","c_root_id_B":"fwv7r48","created_at_utc_A":1593840646,"created_at_utc_B":1593829997,"score_A":11,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"For many grad programs, the GRE is a university requirement and not a department one. If you can demonstrate your value otherwise, your department will vouch for you and see that you can get in. Most PhD programs, if they are stand-alone programs, will get you your Masters along the way. What does it require to get in? Let's consider my first-year cohort. There were just five of us, and we had drastically varying prior experiences. I was the only one with a BA in anthro; others had history, psychology, or cultural studies. When I applied, I had five years of fieldwork and multiple conference presentations. Others had scholarly publications, Masters degrees, or even none of the above. But what we all had were: 1. Clearly defined research interests. 2. Professors in the department uniquely suited to those interests. You *will not* get in if you do not narrow your interests and find programs specific to that. If, right now. you're not sure if you want to study bioarchaeology, archaeology, or human evolution, *seriously* reconsider why you want to get a PhD. Getting a PhD in many fields has been a stupid idea for the past 10 years. It's only become stupider with current global events. Do you really want to commit the next 6-10 years of your life to professionally stagnating? I spent 6 years preparing for a very specific trajectory before grad school and even then I still question why I'm here.","human_ref_B":"In my research on programs it seems most anthro programs care only about the Verbal parts of the GRE, any math scores were about the university requirements overall. Your statement of purpose and research are a lot more important, and they should be really focused. You have a lot of interests listed, which is great, but really be sure what specifically you are interested in and think of some projects before you apply and your app will be a lot stronger.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":10649.0,"score_ratio":3.6666666667} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwvcrkg","c_root_id_B":"fwuwpot","created_at_utc_A":1593833435,"created_at_utc_B":1593822767,"score_A":9,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"Rutgers- New Brunswick\u2019s department of anthropology has voted not to take GRE scores. I believe it is possible to earn your masters as well, a former lab member of the lab I am affiliated with left for UMN.","human_ref_B":"The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has some pretty generous leeway on the GRE scores. I did not do well at all on the math section, but they still accepted me and I'll be going there this Fall. Further, the anthropology program has a very good reputation and respect, if that means anything to you. The federal pathways program might interest you https:\/\/www.usajobs.gov\/Help\/working-in-government\/unique-hiring-paths\/students\/ Depending on what you're looking for, you can work and get your education at the same time, even have your tuition covered as part of your salary!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":10668.0,"score_ratio":2.25} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwvcrkg","c_root_id_B":"fwv408a","created_at_utc_A":1593833435,"created_at_utc_B":1593827481,"score_A":9,"score_B":6,"human_ref_A":"Rutgers- New Brunswick\u2019s department of anthropology has voted not to take GRE scores. I believe it is possible to earn your masters as well, a former lab member of the lab I am affiliated with left for UMN.","human_ref_B":"GREs don\u2019t really matter; you can get into a number of amazing programs with a clearly focused statement of purpose and some glowing recommendation letters.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":5954.0,"score_ratio":1.5} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwvcrkg","c_root_id_B":"fwv7r48","created_at_utc_A":1593833435,"created_at_utc_B":1593829997,"score_A":9,"score_B":3,"human_ref_A":"Rutgers- New Brunswick\u2019s department of anthropology has voted not to take GRE scores. I believe it is possible to earn your masters as well, a former lab member of the lab I am affiliated with left for UMN.","human_ref_B":"In my research on programs it seems most anthro programs care only about the Verbal parts of the GRE, any math scores were about the university requirements overall. Your statement of purpose and research are a lot more important, and they should be really focused. You have a lot of interests listed, which is great, but really be sure what specifically you are interested in and think of some projects before you apply and your app will be a lot stronger.","labels":1,"seconds_difference":3438.0,"score_ratio":3.0} {"post_id":"hksyxh","domain":"askanthropology_test","upvote_ratio":0.88,"history":"Graduate Programs in the USA Hello all, I am graduating with my Bachelors in Anthropology this December. I am looking for graduate programs in the USA that don't require or take into account GRE scores and provide a good amount of funding. I am in my 30s and would not do well on the math section of the GRE. I am also looking for PH.D. Programs where I can also earn my master's on the way to earning my PH.D. I know a number of schools that do this but am worried about GRE scores. I am interested in Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Archaeology, and human evolution. Any ideas or recommendations would be great. Thanks","c_root_id_A":"fwv408a","c_root_id_B":"fwuwpot","created_at_utc_A":1593827481,"created_at_utc_B":1593822767,"score_A":6,"score_B":4,"human_ref_A":"GREs don\u2019t really matter; you can get into a number of amazing programs with a clearly focused statement of purpose and some glowing recommendation letters.","human_ref_B":"The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has some pretty generous leeway on the GRE scores. I did not do well at all on the math section, but they still accepted me and I'll be going there this Fall. Further, the anthropology program has a very good reputation and respect, if that means anything to you. The federal pathways program might interest you https:\/\/www.usajobs.gov\/Help\/working-in-government\/unique-hiring-paths\/students\/ Depending on what you're looking for, you can work and get your education at the same time, even have your tuition covered as part of your salary!","labels":1,"seconds_difference":4714.0,"score_ratio":1.5}